le Internet Archive
7 with funding from
'"-'ft Corporation
/7y^^>^^
I
»*
O * J
\\
V *
c.\
\
'\
/
/
^AMrnyCA^
COMMENTARY
THE BOOK OF PSALMS;
IN WHICH THEIR
LITERAL AND HISTORICAL SENSE,
AS THEY RELATE TO KING DAVID AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, '
IS ILLUSTRATED ;
-"^^ \
THEIR APPLICATION TO MESSIAH, TO THE CHURCH, AND TO
INDIVIDUALS AS MEMBERS THEREOF,
WITH A VIEW TO RENDER THE USE OP THE PSALTER PLEASINQ AND PROPITABLB
TO ALL ORDERS AND DEGREES OF CHRISTIANS.
BY GEORGE, LORD BISHOP OP NORWICH.
AND PRESIDENT OF MAGDALEN COLLEGE, OXFORD.
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED,
AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY,
BY THE
REV. EDWARD IRVING,
MIinSTIR OF THK CALEDONIAN CHURCH, LONDON.
AND A MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR.
NEW YORK:
ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET,
AND PITTSBURG, 56 MARKET STREET.
.^^
^5/^f
■^ w^
4*6 f72-
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
As in political affairs the enlightened Scottish patriot and statesman, in
order to work upon the people, asked for the songs of a nation, rather than
its profound arid laborious literature ; and, in ecclesiastical affairs, the poli-
tic churchmen of Rome apprehended more danger to their craft and mys-
tery, from Luther's spiritual songs, than from all his writings of contro-
versial and popular theology ; so, in spiritual affairs, it is to be believed
that no book of the sacred canon seizeth such a hold upon the spiritual
man, and engendereth in the church so much fruitfulness of goodness
and truth, of comfort and joy, as doth the Book of Psalms. We say not
that the Psalms are so well fitted as the pure light of the Gospel by John,
and Paul's Epistles, which are the refraction of that pure light over the
fields of human well-being, to break the iron bone, and bruise the mill-
stone heart of the natural man ; but that they are the kindliest medicine
for healing his wounds, and the most proper food for nourishing the new
life which comes from the death and destruction of the old. For, as the
songs and lyrical poems of a nation, which have survived the changes of
time by being enshrined in the hearts of a people, contain the true form,
and finer essence of its character, and convey the most genial moods of
its spirit, whether in seasons of grief or joy, down to the children, and
the children's children, perpetuating the strongest vitality of choice spirits,
awakened by soul-moving events, and holding, as in a vessel, to the lips
of posterity, the collected spirit of venerable antiquity: so the Psalms,
which are the songs and odes, and lyrical poems of the people of God,
inspired not of wine, or festal mirth, of war, or love, but spoken by holy
men as they were moved by the HOLY GHOST, contain the words of
GOD'S SPIRIT taught to the souls of his servants, when they were ex-
ercised with the most intense experiences, whether of conviction, peni-
tence, and sorrow : or faith, love, and joy ; and are fit not only to express
the same most vital moods of every renewed soul, but also powerful to
produce those broad awakenings of spirit, to create those overpowering
emotions, and propagate that energy of spiritual life in which they had
their birth.
Be it observed, moreover, that these Songs of Zion express not only
the most remarkable passages whiA have occurred in the spiritual ex-
perience of the most gifted saints, but are the record of the most wonder-
ful dispensations of God's providence unto his church : — containing
pathetic dirges sung over her deepest calamities, jubilees over her mighty
deliverances, songs of sadness for her captivity, and songs of mirth for
her prosperity, prophetic announcement of her increase to the end of time,
and splendid anticipations of her ultimate glory. Not indeed the exact
narrative of the events as they happened, or are to happen, nor the pro-
IV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
saic improvement of the same to the minds of men ; but the poetical form
and monument of the event, where it is laid up and embalmed in honour-
able-wise, after it had been incensed and perfumed with the spiritual
odours of the souls of inspired men. And if they contain not the code
of the divine law, as it is written in the Books of Moses, and more briefly,
yet better written in our Lord's Sermon on the mount, they celebrate the
excellency and glory of the Law, its light, life, wisdom, contentment, and
blessedness, with the joys of the soul which keepeth it, and the miseries
of the soul which keepeth it not. And if they contain not the argument
of the simple doctrines, and the detail of the issues of the gospel, to reveal
which the word of God became flesh, and dwelt among us : yet now that
the key is given, and the door of spiritual life is opened, where do we
find such spiritual treasures as in the Book of Psalms, wherein are re-
vealed the depths of the soul's sinfulness, the stoutness of her rebellioa
against God, the horrors of spiritual desertion, the agonies of contrition,
the blessedness of pardon, the joys of restoration, the constancy of faith,
and every other variety of Christian experience ? And if they contain
not the narrative of Messiah's birth, and life, and death ; or the labours
of his apostolic servants, and the strugglings of his infant church, as
these are written in the books of the New Testament; where, in the
whole Scriptures, can we find such declarations of the work of Christ,
in its humiliation and its glory, the spiritual agonies of his death, and
glorious issues of his resurrection, the wrestling of his kingdom with the
powers of darkness, its triumph over the heathen, and the overthrow of
all its enemies, until the heads of many lands shall have been wounded,
and the people made willing in the day of his power?
And where are there such outbursting representations of all the attri-
butes of Jehovah, before whom, when he rideth through the heavens, the
very heavens seem to rend in twain to give the vision of his going forth,
and vye seem to see the haste of the universe to do her homage, and to
hear the quaking of nature's pillars, the shaking of her foundations, and
the horrible outcry of her terror ? And oh ! it is sweet in the midst of
these soarings into the third heavens of vision, to feel that you are borne
upon the words of a man, not upon the wings of an archangel ; to hear
ever and anon the frail but faithful voice of humanity, making her trust
under the shadow of His wings, and her hiding-place m the secret of His
tent ; and singing to Him in faithful strains, " For as the heaven is high
above the earth, so great is his mercy to them that fear him. As far as
the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from
us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear him." So that, as well by reason of the matter which it contains, as
of the form in which it is expressed, the Book of Psalms, take it all in
all, may be safely pronounced one of the divinest books in all the Scrip-
tures; which hath exercised the hearts and lips of all saints, and become
dear in the sight of the church ; ^vhich is replenished with the types of
all possible spiritual feelings, and suggests the forms of all God-ward emo-
tions, and furnishing the choice expressions of all true worship, the utter-
ances of all divine praise, the confession of all spiritual humility, with the
raptures of all spiritual joy.
If now we turn ourselves to consider the manner or style of the Book,
and to draw it into comparison with the lyrical productions of cultivated
and classical nations, it may well be said, that as the heavens are high
above the earth, so are the sona:s of Zion high above the noblest strains
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. V
which have been sung in any land. For, take out of the lyrical poetry of
(Tieece and Rome, the praises of women, and of wine, the flatteries of men,
and idle invocations of the muse and lyre, and what have we left? What
dedication of song and music is there to the noble and exalted powers of
the human spirit — what to the chaste and honourable relations of human
society — what to the excitement of tender emotions towards the widow
and the fotherless, the stranger and the oppressed — what to the awful
s.inctity of law and government, and the practical forms of justice and
<^quity! We know, that in the more ancient time, when men dwelt
nearer to God, the lyre of Orpheus was employed to exalt and pacify the
soul ; that the Pythagorean verse contains the intimations of a deep theol-
ogy, a divine philosophy and a virtuous life; that the lyre of Tyrtoeus
was used by the wisdom of Lycurgus, for accomplishing his great work
of forming a peculiar people, a nation of brave and virtuous men ; but in
the times which we call classical, and with the compositions of which we
embue our youth, we find little purity of sentiment, little elevation of soul,
no spiritual representations of God, nothing pertaining to heavenly knowl-
edge or holy feeling: but, on the other hand, impurity of life, low sensual
ideas of God, and the pollution of religion, so often as they touch it. But
the Songs of Zion are comprehensive as the human soul, and varied as
human life ; where no possible state of natural feeling shall not find itself
tenderly expressed and divinely treated with appropriate remedies; where
no condition of human life shall not find its rebuke or consolation: be-
cause they treat not life after the fashion of an age or people, but life in
its rudiments, the life of the soul, with the joys and sorrows to which it is
amenable, from concourse with the outward necessity of the fallen world.
Which breadth of application they compass not by the sacrifice of lyrical
propriety, or poetical method; for if there be poems strictly lyrical, that
is, whose spirit and sentiment move congenial with the movements of
music, and which, by their very nature, call for the accompaniment of
music, these Odes of a people despised as illiterate, are such. For pure
pathos and tenderness of heart, for sublime imaginations, for touching pic-
tures of natural scenery, and genial sympathy with nature's various
moods ; for patriotism, whether in national weal or national wo, for beau-
tiful imagery, whether derived from the relationship of human life, or the
forms of the created universe, and for the illustration, by their help, of
spiritual conditions: moreover, for those rapid transitions in which the
lyrical muse delighteth, her lightsome graces at one time, her deep and
full inspiration at another, her exuberance of joy and her lowest falls of
grief, and for every other form of the natural soul, w^hich is wont to be
shadowed forth by this kind of composition, we challenge anything to be
produced from the literature of all ages and countries, worthy to be com-
pared with what we find even in the English version of the Book of
Psalms.
Were the distinction of spiritual from natural life, the dream of mystical
enthusiasts, and the theology of the Jews, a cunningly devised fable, -like
the mythologies of Greece and Rome, these few Odes should be dearer to
the man of true feeling and natural taste, than all which have been
<jerived to us from classical times, though they could be sifted of their
abominations, and cleansed from the incrustation of impurity which defiles
their most exquisite parts. But into these questions of stj'^le we enter no
further, our present aim being higher. Paulo major a canamus. Let us
employ the few pages which we hav€ devoted to this Essay, on something
VI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
more noble than questions of taste, and more enduring than the gratifica-
tions of the natural man.
These Songs of Zion have always been very dear unto Zion's children,
and the various churches of the Christian faith, as by one harmonious and
universal consent, have adopted the Psalms as the outward ibrm- by which*
they shali express Tlre*Tnwar3 feelings of the Christian life. However
'Tliuc'h the fhiirtitelyTaTyirig expositors of Christian doctrine may differ in
the opinions and views which they deduce from the Scripture at large, in
this they are agreed, that the effusions of the inspired Psalmist must al-
ways be the true and expressive language of the believing soul. An
organ of utterance well and rightly attuned to every aspiration, and to
every emotion of that soul which hath been quickened from spiritual death,
and made alive in Christ Jesus the Lord.
The pious ARMINIAN, who resteth content with the infant state of
Christ, and seeth no more in the rich treasures of God's word than a free
gift to all men, shrinking back with a feeling of dismay from such parts
of the sacred volume as favour a system of doctrine suited to the manly
state of Christian life, can yet trust himself without dismay or doubt to
give back, from'his inmost spirit, the sentiments and thoughts which he
finds embodied in the Book of Psalms, veiled with no obscurity of speech,
and perplexed with no form of controversy. He delighteth to read that
" the Lord is loving unto every one, and that his tender mercy governs
all his works." His spirit hath its liberty amidst those unlimited declara-
tions of the divine beneficence, sung by Zion's King, when he calleth upon
all nature's children to take part with him in his song of praise, and in
his liberality includeth the lower creatures, and the very forms of inani-
mate nature ; gathering the voice of all the earth into one, and joining it
in symphony with the hosannas of the unfallen and redeemed spirits
whirh are around the throne of God. And the more enlightened and
not less pious CALVINIST, who is not content evermore to dwell in the
outer court of the holy temple, but resolveth for his soul's better peace and
higher joy, to enter into the holy and most holy place, which is no longer
veiled and forbidden, finds in this Book of Psalms, a full declaration of
the deepest secrets of his faith, expression for his inmost knowledge of the
truth, and forms for his most profound feelings upon the peculiar, and
appropriate, and never-failing love of a covenant God towards his own
peculiar people ; and in concert with David, the father of a spiritual seed,
he doth celebrate the praises of that God, who freely and for his own
sake hath loved his people with an everlasting love ; "visiting their trans-
gressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes, but not suffering
his loving-kindness to fail, or his goodness to depart for evermore." And
from Vv'hatever point between these two extremes of spiritual life (the
former the infancy, the latter the mature and perfect manhood) any church
hath contemplated the scheme of its doctrine — by whatever name they
have thought good to designate themselves, and however bitterly opposed
to one another in church government, observance of rites, or administra-
tion of sacraments, you still find them with one voice consenting to employ
those inspired songs, as well fitted to express the emotions of their spirits,
when stirred up to devout and holy aspirations of prayer and praise.
The reason why the Psalms have found such constant favour in the sight
of the Christian church, and come to constitute a chief portion of every
missal and liturgy, and form of worship, public or private, while forms
of doctrine and discourse have undergone such manifold changes, in«
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. Vll
order to represent the changing spirit of the age, and the diverse condi-
tions of the human mind, is to be found in this — that they address them-
selves to the simple instinctive feelings of the renewed soul, which are its
most constant and permanent part, whereas, the forms of doctrine and
discourse address themselves to the spiritual understanding, which dif-
fers in ages and countries according to the degree of spiritual illumina-
tion, and the energy of spiritual life. For as those instincts of our nature,
which put themselves forth in infancy and early life, towards our parents^
and our kindred, and our friends, and derive thence the nourishment upon
which they live, are far more constant, than those opinions which we
afterwards form concerning society, civil polity, and the world in general ;
and, as those impressions of place, and scene, and incident, which come
in upon us in our early years, are not only more constant in their endu-
rance, but more uniform in their effect upon the various minds which are
submitted to them, than any which are afterwards made by objects better
fitted to affect us both permanently and powerfully — so we reckon that
there is an infancy of the spiritual man, which, with all its instincts,
wanders abroad over the word of God, to receive the impressions thereof,
and grow upon their wholesome variety, into a maturity of spiritual reason,
when it becomes desirous to combine and arrange into conceptions, and
systems of conceptions, the manifoldness and variety of those simple im-
pressions which it hath obtained. During those days of its spiritual
infancy, the soul rejoiceth as a little child at the breast of its mother ;
feeds upon the word of God with a constant relish ; delights in the views
and prospects which open upon every side, and glories in its heavenly
birth-right and royal kindred ; and considereth with wonder the kingdom
of which it is become a denizen, its origin, its miraculous progress and
everlasting glory: and as the infant life opens itself to the sun of right-
eousness, it delights in its activity, and exhales on all around the odour
of its breathing joy.
To this season of the spiritual mind, the Psalms come most opportunely
as its natural food. We say not that they quicken the life, to which no-
thing is so appropriate as the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospels,
but being quickened, they nourish up the life to manhood, and when its
manly age is come, prepare it for the strong meat which is to be found in
the writings of the prophets and the apostles. But ever afterwards the
souls of believers recur to these Psalms as the home of their childhood,
where they came to know the loving-kindness of their heavenly Father,
the fatness of his house, and the full river of his goodness, his pastoral
carefulness, his sure defence, and his eye slumbereth not, nor sleepeth,
with every other simple representation of divine things, to the simple af-
fections of the renewed soul. Therefore are these Psalms to the Chris-
tian, what the love of parents and the sweet affections of home, and the
clinging memory of infant scenes, and the generous love of country, are
to men of every rank and order, and employment ; of every kindred, and
tongue, and nation. This principle, which binds these Psalms with cords
of love to the renewed soul, and the right use and application of them to
the bringing up of spiritual children, will be more clearly manifested, if,
from the varieties of Christian experience, we select those great leading
features, which are common to all, and show how fitly they are expressed
in the Book of Psalms, with how much beauty and tenderness of feeling,
with how much richness of allusion to the ancient history of the church,
and with whatever other accompaniments which can make them sweet to
B
Vlll INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
the present perusal of the soul, easy and delightful to it in its recollective
and reflective mood. Thereby we shall give, as it were, a fit spiritual in-
troduction to the excellent Commentary of the good Bishop Horne,
whose book is full of the particulars of such spiritual application.
Withoutdispute or controversy upon minor points ofdifference, the church
of the first-born whose names are written in heaven, meet upon the com-
mon ground of a fallen nature. Once they had supposed themselves up-
right before God, strong in natural integrity, possessing an undoubted
claim to the final approbation of a righteous judge. But it was in the
days of their ignorance that they thus conceived of their own worth ; and
now that the rays of divine light and truth have penetrated the darkness
in which their souls were shrouded, they see an end of that perfection
which was heretofore their boast. The breadth of the divine command-
ment is revealed to them, and being sorely pressed with an ever present
sense of their defilement, they afflict their souls together, falling prostrate
before the thrice Holy Majesty, who is of purer eyes than to behold ini-
quity; and confess with the royal penitent, "Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Whatever point of
faith or doctrine any one of Zion's children may seem to be deficient in,
if he be but a babe of Christ, able to feed only upon the nourishment of
babes, and rejecting the food of riper years, yet shall he have to come to
the knowledge of the plagues of his own heart, and he moved to spread
forth his hands in supplication towards the temple of the Lord, and to
say, " 1 acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me."
The universal Church afflicteth her soul under the abiding sense of the
loss of her original beauty, and under a deep feeling of her present misery,
she deploreth her bondage to the powers of darkness and the God of this
world ; and her children mingle their tears together by the waters of their
captivity, and wail because of the oppression of their mother, and they
cry out of the depths of their desolation, " Let the sighing of the prison-
ers come before thee, and according to the greatness of thy power preserve
those that are appointed unto death." " Save us, O Lord, by thy name,
judge us by thy strength, for strangers are risen up against us, and op-
pressors seek after our souls." Oh, how do the true mourners with one
accord come unto the Lord weeping and with supplication, " that their
captivity may be turned, and salvation brought them out of Zion !" How
-do they beseech the Lord, " giving him no rest till he make Jacob to re-
joice, and Israel to be glad ; till he do good in his good pleasure unto
Zion, and build up again the walls of Jerusalem !" And when the Lord
hath hearkened unto the voice of the cry of his people, and turned their
captivity, delivering them from the strong enemy that held them, bringing
them forth also into a large place, and subduing under them the foes that
were too mighty for them ; how do they with one accord magnify the
Lord, and extol his name together, and with one harmonious voice, cele-
brate the praise of him who, strong to save them, hath trodden upon the
lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon hath trampled under
foot. "Oh Lord of Hosts, who is a strong God like unto thee? Thou
hast a mighty arm, strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Thou
hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that was slain. Justice and judg-
ment are the habitation of thy throne, mercy and truth shall go before thy
face." The true Israel of God, the spiritual worshippers under the gos-
el dispensation, being rescued from this worse than Egyptian bondage,
y the strong hand and outstretched arm of the God of their salvation, com
I
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. IX
inemorate in many a song sung in Zion of old, the interposition of divine
love ctnd grace, and oft looking back upon the raging sea, which was fain
to yirilJ them a safe passage ; they proceed onward in their course through
the weary wilderness, to the abode of their rest, and the promised city of
tht^ir habitation: and they had hoped they were safe from the power of
4heir'Tnel adversary, %nd that their foot was safely planted upon their own
la.id. But now they find, to the travail of their souls, that though they
be 110 longer the willing slaves of Satan, but partakers of the glorious lib-
«ity wherewith Chiist hath set his people free, they must use the arms of
freemen to retain their newly acquired liberty, march militant, and build
the wall of their city in troublous times, and abide unto the death the
faithful soldiers of the Captain of their salvation. " Each one had said in
his prospeiity, I shall never be moved, thou, Lord, of thy favour hast
made my mountain to stand strong." But ere long, each one for himself
exclaims, '' Oh, God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance, thy holy
temj)le have they defiled, and made Jerusalem a heap of stones." — " Send
thine hand from above, rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange
children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right
hanJ of falsehood." And oh, how do Zion's children cry out ever and
anon together, in pain to be delivered from the remaining and continually
reviving power ot' that sin which cleaveth to them with all the force of
nature, and is only kept in check and brought under subjection, by the
..more powerful opention of the spirit of grace which dwelleth in them!
And they continually cry out with the king of Israel, " Create in me a
clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me: purge me with
hyssop, and 1 shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."
The experience of the Lord's saints is ever one. As flice answereth to
face in a glass, so the heart of man to man, whether it be the heart in its
unrenewed or renewed state, its workings will not be found diverse, but
the same, — moods of the mind common to every child of the second as of
the fiist Adam. Whatever is written in Moses and the Prophets, and the
Psalms, concerning the former church, must be fulfilled in the experience
of every saint of the present church ; and there is no spiritual song,
which they do not appropriate and make their own. In them it is ful-
.filled. For it is but the spirit of Christ speaking at various times; of
whom no word is mortal, but every word immortal. And it is their con-
stant work to search out the personal application of the Spirit, and appro-
priate it to themselves: and through every trial and stage of their spiritual
life, they saj'-, with the Psalmist, " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and
a light unto my path ; open thou mine eyes that I may discern wondrous
things out of thy law." Ah, how they meditate thereon day and night!
And truly can every child of David's kingdom say, " Lord, how I love
thy law; it is my meditation all the day ; mine eyes prevent the night-
watches that 1 might meditate on thy word." And the anxious and diligent
travail of Zion's children in the study of their Master's word, is repaid
by the sweet and pleasant contemplations which they are continually de-
riving thence, for the refreshment and consolation of their spirit. And
the language of their soul is ever, " How sweet are thy words to my
taste, yea sweeter than honey to my mouth ! The law of thy mouth is
belter to me than thousands of gold and silver."
But the saints of God mourn not for themselves alone, nor do they re-
joice only for themselves. Nor is it for their own solitary rescue from the
jaws of the devouring lion, that they offer up strong cries unto the Lord j
K INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
nor for their single salvation, that they sing the praises of redeeming love..
They are not altogether absorbed vi^ith the variety of their own spiritual
conflicts, or swallowed up in the sense of their own manifold trials and
temptations ; nor for themselves alone do they study the precious word of
God, or dig for its hid treasure with the avarice of the man who knoweth
not the riches of communicated wealth. The utterances of individual
feeling, of whatever kind, form but a part, perhaps the lesser part, of the
spiritual exercises of the man of God. If he fears with a salutary fear,
lest it be said of him at any time, " The vineyard of others hath he kept,
but his own vineyard hath he not kept:" he hath yet a heart to mourn
with those that mourn, and to rejoice with those that rejoice. He is a
member of the mystical body of his Lord, whereof when any member
sufl^ers, all the members suffer with it ; when any member is honoured,
all the members rejoice. Therefore, it is a first instinct of the spiritual
man, to have a deep and abiding sympathy, with every brother of human
kind, upon whose renewed spirit he discovers the impress of his Master's
image : and he says, " All my delight is in the saints that are upon the
earth and upon such as excel in virtue." Unlike the natural man, who
at his best estate is built up in selfish feeling or unholy emulation, the man
of God looks, not only at his own things, but at the things of others.
With the love that is peculiar to the true saint, he desires the well-being
of his brother, and rejoiceth over it even as if it were his own. How doth
he continually make supplication for all saints, that their faith and love
may abound unto the glory of God: How earnestly doth he desire their
increase of grace, and that they may be filled with all the knowledge of
God ! and he ever prays for the peace of Jerusalem, saying evermore,.
" Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. ' For my
brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, peace be with thee. Be-
cause of the house of our God, I will seek thy good. Do good, O Lord,
unto those that be good: and strengthen the upright in heart." In Zion's
troubles his spirit is troubled, and he hangeth his harp upon the willows,
refusing the song of mirth, and preferring the cause of captive Zion,
before his own chief joy. And he prayeth on her behalf continually,
" The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob
defend thee. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out
of Zion. Remember all thy offerings, and accept all thy burnt sacrifices.
Grant thee according to thy heart, and fulfil all thy counsel."
Now there hath grown up in these lean years, a miserable notion, that
the Psalms are not so appropriate for expressing the communion of the
Christian church, for the reason that they contain allusions to places and
events which are of Jewish, and not of Christian association. And some
have gone so far as to weed out all those venerable associations, by intro-
ducing modern names of places in their stead. Why do they not upon
the same principle weed out the Jewish allusions of the Four Gospels and
the Epistles ? But it is as poor in taste and wrong in feeling, as it is
daring in the thought, and bold in the execution. In doing so, they con-
sult for the homely feeling of the natural^ not of the spiritual man, because
the home of the spiritual was in Jerusalem, and Mount Zion and the
temple of God, with which the soul connects her anticipations, no less
than her recollections, being taught that the new Jerusalem is to come
down from heaven like a bride decked for her bridegroom, and that those
who are sealed are to stand upon Mount Zion with the Lamb of God.
Every name in the Psalms, whether of person or of place, hath a mystical
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XI
■meaning given to it in the Christian Scriptures. Jerusalem is not the
Jerusalem that was, nor is Babylon the Babylon that was ; and even
David hath lost his personality in the everlasting David. Judah and
Israel mean not now the cast-away root, but the branch that hath been
grafted in. Besides, we hold at present only one cycle of the revolution
of God's purpose ; the Jews shall yet be brought in, and Jerusalem be-
come glorious, and the dwelling of God be again with men. Why then
should any part of everlasting Scripture be made the property of an age
or place, which suppose every Christian nation to do, and where were
the community of the Christian church ! It is heady innovation and
leanness of spirit which hath brought this to pass, for no end that we can
see, save to gratify a national vanity, and connect religion in a strange
league with patriotism ; thereby breaking the continuity of God's dis-
pensation, and destroying all lyrical propriety. As if you would render
the Odes of Horace into English, with English names of men and places,
in order to make them more edifying to the English reader. But more
need not be said upon this blunder in piety, which will disappear when
the lean years are over and gone. If we take not our forms for express-
ing spiritual patriotism, from those inspired songs through which, in the
old time, the Church breathed the spirit of her high privilege and separate
community, where shall we obtain them of like unction and equal author-
ity, in the experience of times during which no prophet hath arisen in
the holy city? For though the Church hath been as sorely tried under
the Gentile, as under the Jewish dispensation, it hath not pleased the Lord
to bestow upmi any of her priests or people, the garment of inspiration,
with which to clothe in spiritual songs the depths of her sorrow, or the
exultation of her joy. And we are shut up to the necessity either of
responding to the voice of the Spirit in the ancient Psalmist, or to re-echo
the poetical effusions of uninspired men, — either to address the living
God in the language of his own word, or in the language of some ver-
nacular poet, whose taste and forms of thinking, whose forms of feeling,
yea, and forms of opinion, we must make mediators between our soul
and the ear of God, — which is a great evil to be avoided, whenever it
can be avoided. For Christians must be forms of the everlasting and
common Spirit, not mannerists of mortal and individual men.
But to return. Not only do the personal instincts, and the social in-
stincts of the child of God, find in these Psalms the milk and honey of
their existence, a cradle and a home where to wax and grow, and a mul-
tifarious world of imagery to awaken and entertain its various senses ;
but also those instincts of piety, and compassion, and longing charity,
which it hath towards the enemies of Christ, not indeed as his enemies,
but as the hopeful prodigals of the human family, which he loveth in
common with the rest, and would, in like manner, save. The true disci
pies of the compassionate and tender-hearted Friend of sinners, adopt the
language of Israel's King, when he pours out his soul in anxious long-
ings for the salvation of the wicked, deprecating their stout-hearted rebel-
lion against the King of kings, and exhorting to be timely wise, lest they
fail of their final and everlasting rest. The new man in Christ Jesus,
the regenerate, adopted child of the second Adam, who, under the sweet
and enlightening influence of many newly awakened feelings, perceives
himself to be linked in new and constraining bonds of sympathy with,
every kindred soul in Christ, is, nevertheless, not so absorbed in the joy-
ful consciousness of those newly formed relations into which he hath been
Xa INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
introduced by grace, as to forget that he is still united by many dear ancf
tender ties to his brethren in the flesh. His original descent from the
first Adam, he does not cease to recollect; and the conviction that, in vir-
tue of this descent, he was by nature a child of wrath even as others, stim-
ulates his zeal in behalf of those who appear to be less highly favoured
than himself, and will not suffer his love towards them to fail. If, to the-
inexpressible peace and consolation of his soul, he finds himself to be
now under the royal law of liberty, he grieveth to behold his kindied,
his friends, his neighbours, the world at large, still oppressed with the
yoke of bondage, heedless of their degradation, and careless to take up-
their purchased redemption. If the law of God be precious to him, and
he discover in it a beauty, and excellence, and a goodness ever commend-
ing it to the love and admiration of his enlightened spirit, how doth he
weep and mourn on account of those by whom it is ignorantly set at
nought and utterly despised ! He adopteth the language of Israel's king,
"Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake
thy law. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not
thy law. Thou shalt break them with the rod of iron: Thou shalt dash
them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Beware now, therefore, O ye kings;:
be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and
ye perish from the right way, when his wrath is kindled but a little."
There are many passages in the Psalms which seem to breathe an op-
posite spirit of hostility and revenge upon the personal enemies of the
Psalmist, and to heap upon their heads all the curses which are written
in the book of the law of God. Concerning this, and many^ther points,
it is well stated in the preface to this Commentary, whereof we would not
repeat any thing, but add, for the further explication of this matter, that
though the gospel law be "charity out of a pure heart," this chaiity doth
manifest itself under various forms, some pleasant, but most of them pain-
ful to the natural man. Rebuke is a form of charity; and censure, and
excommunication, yea, and total abandonment for a while. Truth is al-
ways a form of charity; or, to speak more properly, truth is the soul of
which charity is but the beautiful, graceful, and lovely member. Charity,,
therefore, is not to be known by soft words, and fair speeches and gentle
actions, which are oftener the forms of policy and courtesy; but must be-
sought in the principle of the heart, out of which all our words, speeches,
and actions come forth. It is love to God producing love to all his fami-
ly, by which we are moved ; then is it charity, be its form commendation
or blame, mildness or zeal, the soft and gentle moods of mercy, or the
stern inflictions of justice, or the hasty strokes of hot and fiery indigna-
tion: and wisdom must determine the form which is proper to the occa-
sion. Is not God a God of love? And how diversified are the moods-
of his providence even to his own beloved children ! Christ brought
mercy to the earth, and in the gospel builded for her an ark, in which
she might swim over the deluge of cruelty which covereth the earth. Yet
how terrible is that gospel in its revelation to the wicked, how unsparing
of the world, how cruel to the flesh, how contemptuous of good-natured
formality, how awfully vindictive against hypocrisy ; taking every one
of its children, and swearing him upon the altar to be an enemy, till:
death, against the world, the devil and the flesh ! Against the various-
forms then of the devil, the world and the flesh, we are sworn, and, in or-
der to their destruction, must make war with the two-edged sword whicb
proceedeth out of the mouth of the word of God. Of these strong actings
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. Xiii'
of the soul against the wickedness of the wicked, the Psalmist's language
of cursing is but the breath. The world is the heathen whom he prays
God to break in pieces. And for ever let the Christian exercise himself
with thit warfare, else he shall never know the fellowship of the Redeem-
er's sufferings. It is the capital principle of all sound doctrine, That the
world is to be destroyed. It is the deep-rooted source of all heretical doc-
trine, That the woild is to be mended. And to keep the one in mind,
the other out of mind, it is most necessary that no mean portion of the
devotion of a Christian church should be to express the desires of their
soul on his behalf Charity being un violated; yea, charity being edified j
for until the sceptre of the world is broken in pieces, charity can find no
room, but is fain to flee into the wilderness. Out of the same charity,
therefore, ought the Christian to adopt these expressions of his hatred to
the form, and fruits of wickedness, that he expresseth his longing desire
that the souls of the wicked should be set free and saved.
Such is the food, exercise, and entertainment which the child of God
receives in this precious portion of his word, to all those instincts of the
renewed spirit which regard self-preservation, the communion of saints
and the salvation of the world. But beyond these objects which dwell upon
the earth, he is carried upward to hold communion with the God and Fa-
ther of his spirit, from whom he hath obtained a new birth, and by whom
this new principle is kept alive in its uncongenial habitation. Many are
the conflicts of Zion's children in their way to the heavenly city, and great
the travail of their souls, under the variety and might of which they need
appropriate encouragement from Him who is greater than all their ene-
mies, and in whom is their trust. Their own individual salvation, their
own peculiar trials, their own besetting enemies, Zion's well-being, and
the share of all her sorrows till her warfare is ended; the world's salva-
tion, in which they must travail till the number of the elect is accomplished, \
and, as priests unto God, offer up continual supplication: how shall they 1
prosper in such an arduous work, without constant communion and fellow- I
ship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ? For which com- /
rn union with the Godhead, these divine songs of Israel furnish the most /
sublime, the most pathetic, and the most varied forms. Here the perfec- /
lions of Jehovah are revealed to all his saints, whether in his strength as /
the God of Hosts, or in his righteousness, as before whom the heavens
are not clean ; or in his intelligence as the pure light in whom is no dark-
ness at all ; or in his all prevading presence in the highest heavens, and
the deepest hell, and the uttermost parts of the earth, and the dwelling
place of darkness ; or as the Father of all life, and the Creator of all
wealth, and the liberal Provider for the wants of every thing that liveth,
as the Glory of the hosts above, and the Terror of the hosts beneath ; the
Eif'rnal, Unchangeable, without variableness or the shadow of turning;
who of old laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work
of his hands; which, when they wax old, he shall fold up as a vesture,
and cover them with a new garment of creation, while he remaineth the
same and his years have no end. Oh, my soul! that thou couldst tell
how thou hast been enlarged into the liberty of divine thought, and borne
upon the uings of contemplation beyond the bounds of time and space,
wrapt into the mysteries of the divine life, and with a strong heart and
serene countenance, brought back to fight and to finish the warfare, till thy
change come, by the glorious represej^tations of Jehovah and his acts, con-
tained in the Book of Psalms, which truly are the fiery chariot, the vehi-
XIV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
cle sent from God to carry the saints into the third heavens, that they may
breathe an imperial air, and return lightened of their troubles, and quick-
ened in their spirit, to finish the heavy work which God hath given them
to do.
Of this, indeed, no one will doubt, be he spiritual or carnal, that these
Psalms contain such representations of the great and mighty God, as
mind of man never conceived, or pen of man indited ; but more mar-
vellous is it still to find in these Psalms, which looked afar off at the
day of Christ, all the perfections and peculiar attributes of Messiah,
which form to his redeemed people the endless theme of praise, issuing
from the heart, and returning into the heart again, like the waters which
the firmament draweth from the earth, and droppeth again upon the earth
in dews and refreshing showers. These are set forth in away most noble,
most true, and most full of feeling. In such a wonderful way is the man
Christ Jesus represented in these Psalms, uttering his soul unto his Father,
unto his people, unto his persecutors, or unto his own bosom, that the chil-
dren are able to take part in them, and find to their inexpressible joy that
he is one with them in mind, in heart, in deed and in very word. And
now, let us take free scope to set forth this, the most soul-quieting, and
soul-delighting virtue of these songs of Zion: that they contain the sym-
phonies of Messiah and his children, of Immanuel and his people.
But first, like the bride who loveth to look upon the face of the bride-
groom, and to hear of all his excellence, that she may with the more glad-
ness give herself into his bosom, and rejoice in his embrace; the church
doth well love and much delight to hear it said of him by Jehovah, " I
will declare the decree. Thou art mine only Son ; this day have I begot-
ten thee." " Thou wast set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or
ever the earth was;" "from everlasting to everlasting thou art God,''
the same who did appoint the foundation of the earth, establish the clouds
above, and strengthen the fountains of the deep; of old thou hast laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hand."
And how her glory rejoiceth to hear, that for the love of her that he might
wash her in his blood, and present her without spot or wrinkle in the pres-
ence of his Father, he became a partaker of flesh and blood, and was
formed m fashion as a man, yea, took upon him the form of a servant;
that by toil, and servitude, and suffering, and death, he rtiight purchase
her love. Making request unto his Father, thus — "Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me; mine ears hast thou
bored. Lo, I come to do thy will, O God!" Remembering how he ful-
filled all righteousness for her sake, and redeemed her from the curse, by
becoming a curse for her, she thus sings her unbounded love, " And he
bowed the heavens and came down, darkness was under his feet. He
made darkness his secret place, his pavilion round about him was dark
waters and thick clouds of the skies. He took me, he drew me out of
many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them
which hated me."
And looking on him whom she caused to be pierced, whose beauty was
wasted by death, and the joy of his soul drunk up by the fierce arrows of
his Father, she mourns and weeps, and her eyes distil with tears, at the
thought of those stripes by which she was healed ; and by the deepest of all
sympathies, the suffermgs of Messiah became the sufferings of the church,
and she crieth out, with her suffering Lord, "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me! O my Goa, I cry in the day-time, but thou
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XW
fiearest me not, and in the night season, and am not silent ! I am poured
out like water, all my bones are out of joint. My strength is dried up
like a potsherd, my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; thou hast brought me
to the dust of death."
But the symphonies which the Church singeth with Christ out of this
book are not all a fellowship of suffering. For not only by the shedding
of his blood did Messiah make propitiation for her sins, and destroy her
writing of condemnation, and put a new song in her mouth — " Who is he
that condemneth," but also for her hath he purchased the raiment of an
everlasting righteousness, and the beauties of holiness, and the spirit of
a perfect obedience, which, by previous justifying faith, she claimeth as
her own, and over which she singeth other symphonies of gladness : "I
have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my
God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his
statutes from me. I was upright before him, and 1 kept myself from
mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to
my righteous dealing, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eye-
sight." And in the greatness of her loyal love, how many a song sing-
eth the daughter of Zion, touching the things that belong unto the King,
when her tongue is as the pen of a ready writer: " Thou art fairer than
the children of men ; grace is poured upon thy lips, therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with
loving kindness, and tender mercies." And with what a brave pulse of
glory doth her heart exult toward the accomplishment of Messiah's king-
dom, and the fulness of his power; when all lands shall call upon his
name, and all nations shall bow before him, and there shall be given to
him of Sheba's gold, and his name shall endure for ever, and last like the
sun, and men shall be blest in him, and all nations shall call him blessed !
Then his people sing in high symphony with their triumphant King, and
all-conquering Lord, in whom each one feeleth himself to be a conqueror
and a king, seated on his throne, and sharing in his royal sovereignty,
^' Thou hast made me the head of the heathen ; a people whom I have
not known shall serve me, as soon as they hear of me they shall obey
me. The' strangers shall submit themselves unto me."
For what are the conquests of David, or the greater conquests of David's
everlasting Son, over the kingdoms of the earth, but a shadow of that in-
ward conquest which Christ worketh over his enemies within our soul,
which is more valuable than the earth, and to conquer which is a higher
achievement than to subdue the kingdoms of the earth! The history of
the Church is such a shadow of soul-history, as creatid^ is of the omnip-
otent Spirit that made it. The soul is a thing for the Son of God to con-
quer, the world is for Caesar, or the son of Philip. The soul, the bound-
less world of the soul to recover, to reconcile its warring powers, to
breathe the life of God over its chaotic wastes — this is a work whereof all
outward works are only fit to be the emblems; a work, in the execution
of which every spiritual man feels the going forth of his Saviour con-
quering and to conquer. And he hath every outward action of holy writ
realized inwardly, every groan of the conquered, every struggle of the
conqueror, his toil, his sweat, his wounds, his death, his resurrection, his
second going forth in the plenitude of the Spirit, his unconquered resolu-
tion, his long-abiding labour, the turning of the tide of battle, his sword
upon the neck of his enemies, the shout of victory, the treading of the
c
XVI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
nations in the wine-press of his fury, his shivering them with his iron scep-
tre like a potsherd, his driving them with death, and the grave, and him-
that had the power of death, into the bottomless pit. His reign of peace^
its joy, full contentment, and perfect assurance, what are they all, but let--
ters, words, and similitudes, whereby the believer may better understand,
and better express the spiritual work which is going on with his own soul,.
by the casting down of imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ ? If a company of musical and me-
lodious souls feel in unison with the sounds that flow from chords touched
by the hands of a master musician, and a company of rich and poetical
souls feel in harmony, while the drama of a master poet is rehearsed with
true action in their ears, shall not the souls of spiritual men be in har-
mony, while perusing the outward action, whereof they are the subject?'
Be in harmony ! aye, in truest harmony. For they are the end of it all,
the meaning of it all. In them it hath its reality, and till realized in them,-
it is an incomprehensible world to words and images, a hieroglyphic with
no interpretation ; a musical instrument, with no hand cunning enough
to bring out its infinite streams of liquid music. Therefore, by no mys-
tery but reality, though it be deep spiritual reality, deeper far than nature's
penetration, they sing, " He hath ascended up on high, leading captivity
captive, and receiving gifts for us, even for the rebellious, that the Lord
our God may dwell among us. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be
ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord
mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift up ye ever-
lasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King
of glory? The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of glory." And in spirit
they see the heavens to have opened their glorious gates, and behold the
desire of their soul seated at the right hand of God, and they hear the-
welcome of Jehovah to the Son of man, " Sit thou at my right hand, until
I make thine enemies thy footstool, and thy people willing in the day of
thy power, when the rod of thy strength shall be sent out of Zion."
But the sympathy of the church with her glorified Head epdeth not
with his exaltation to the right hand of the Highest, but from the new
office to which she heareth him appointed — " Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek," she doth derive an assurance, a blessed
confidence, that he standeth ever on high, to revive the drooping faith of
his people. He is passed within the veil, to offer the blood of his own
sacrifice, and intercede for the sins of his people, whose hope has passed
in along with him, and anchored within the veil. And whenlheir souls
languish even to the gates of death, and the adversary presscth sore upon
them, that they might fall, and for a moment darkness covereth their soul^
and they say, Will the Lord cast oflf for ever, and will he be favourable
no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for
evermore ? Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? Hath he in anger shut
up his tender mercies ? Straightway, they remember their infirmity, and
call to mind the years of the right hand of the Most High ; and are as-
sured that Messiah ever liveth to make intercession for them, and that if
any man sin, he has an advocate with the Most High, even Christ Jesus,
the righteous. They remember the man of sorrows, who was acquainted'
with grief, and can be touched with the feeling of their infirmities, having-
been in all points tempted like as they are, yet without sin. And taking-
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XVU
heart, they exc.aim, " The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom
shall I be afraid? Though a host should encamp against me, my heart
shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be con-
fident, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, my strength in whom I will
trust, my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my high tower."
And thus "the children of God are exercised between the troubles of life,
and the consolations of faith, between a body of sin and death, and a life
which is born of God, and hidden with Christ in God. The principali-
ties and powers of darkness would fain overwhelm the light and life of
their soul, but they know that the powers of the flesh cannot oppress the
powers of the Spirit. They see the body of Christ, which was rescued
by the power of the Spirit from the jaws of the grave, standing in the
presence of God on high. And they are assured thereby that the holy
seed, born within them of the same Spirit, will, in like manner, quicken
their mortal flesh, and at length re-demand and rescue from the grave the
body, that it may live and reign with Christ for evermore.
At length cometh the end of all trial and experiences, for which there
is an abundant preparation made in this storehouse of spiritual feeling.
Messiah's spiritual seed, the heirs of many exceeding great and precious
promises, who know that to them an abundant entrance shall be minis-
tered into the everlasting kingdom of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
anticipate with hope and joy, not with fear and dismay, the time when
their earthly house of this tabernacle being dissolved, they shall enter into
the building of God, the house not made with hands, eternal in the heav-
ens. Many a dark and gloomy valley have they passed through, since
the time at which they find all their faces Zionward, and became pilgrims
in the strait and narrow way which leadeth unto life. • The last sad and
dismal vale through which they have to pass, before their earthly pil-
grimage be accomplished, is the valley of the shadow of death, which so
many appalling shapes and forms, of terror hover around. The deep
shades of an eternal night seem evermore to rest upon it. Dark and por-
tentous clouds hang round about it, and shut it in, impervious to mortal
sight. Nature looks upon the gloom, and attempts in vain to discover the
limits of the inhospitable region. Knowledge is baffled, and discovery is
set at nought. Visions of terror trouble the eye which comes near it.
Unearthly sounds of horror strike upon his ear who approacheth it.
New and mysterious emotions seize upon the appalled spirit, which feels
no capacity of dying, nor symptoms of death, while the tabernacle is all
crumbling into dust, and she shrinks back aghast, and asks herself how
she is to fare alone, with no one to cheer or accompany her. And though
nature would fain nerve herself to it, she feels how utterly weak she is,
how profitless strength, wealth, knowledge, friendship, and what else she
boasted in. " My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death
are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and
an horrible dread hath overwhelmed my soul." None can wrestle with
death but He who overcame death, and those to whom he giveth power
to overcome that king of terrors ; whom he hath taught with the eye of
faith to peruse the dark vale, and pierce its gloom, and know the bright
and happy region which to them lies revealed within, though to others it
be the mouth of the yawning pit. And as the man of God walks onwards
through the valley, he says unto his God, " I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me, thy rod and thy staflT they comfort me. My heart is glad,
and my glory rejoiceth, my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt
XVIU INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see
corruption."
Now the man of God looks to the end of the race he has been patiently
running, and beholds the goal at hand. He looks upon the recompense
of reward which is awaiting him, the prize of his high calling in Christ
Jesus. The last enemy that he has to overcome is death. The king of
terrors is to be met face to face. He cannot avoid the combat if he would,
and he would not if he could. How often, in the travail of his soul, hath
he exclaimed, "Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell in Meshech, and
to have my habitation amongst the tents of Kedar ? O that I had the
wings of a dove, for then would I flee away and be at rest !" How often
hath he said, " In thy presence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand
are pleasures for evermore ! As for me, I shall behold thy face in right-
eousness. When I awake, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness." And
now that his conflicts are about to cease for ever, and his sorrows to have
an end, he lifteth up his head, because the day .of his redemption draweth
nigh. In vision, his spirit, already winged to take its everlasting flight,
discerneth the throne of God encircled by a thousand times ten thousand
sons of light. In vision, he mingles with the glorious throng. He tunes
his harp to the heavenly theme, and sings the song of Moses and the
Lamb. Sprinkled with the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better
things than the blood of Abel, he ascends in spirit " to the Mount Zion,
the city of the living God, making one of the innumerable company of
angels, and general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names
are written in heaven. Ah ! how doth it grieve his soul to wake once
again out of the trance of bliss, to open his eyes once again upon the dull,
cold, blank realities of life. The syren world hath no longer charms for
him. He hath proved the falseness of her beauty : he hath seen the
glory that excelleth, and hath no eye to look upon fictitious brightness.
He hath seen the King in his beauty, and the land that is afar off. how
shall he endure to soil his feet again with the base mould of the degenerate
earth, to breathe any longer the polluted atmosphere of a world poisoned
with sin, and full of the voices of sorrow ! In this tabernacle he groans,
being burdened. And when the grisly king shakes against him his
terrible dart, he openeth his bosom to receive the stroke of grace, saying
the while, " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory?"
And looking up to heaven, he takes his departure, saying, "Into thy
hand I commend my spirit ; for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of
truth !"
It has been our purpose to show, by the above sketch and commentary
of Christian life, that the multiplied experiences of the soul, the various
states of mind through which the regenerate children of the second Adam
pass, from their first entrance upon the life of faith, to the period when
that life is swallowed up in light, are all exemplified in the Book of
Psalms. So that the believer cannot be in any condition, whether of
joy or sorrow, but he will find in this book most appropriate forms of
utterance, ready prepared for the expression of his feelrngs, of whatever
kind. We have only brought to light a portion of these feelings, tracing
their genuine and expressive utterance, as it were with the Psalmist's
pen. But it would not be diflicult to show, that in the Psalms, the ex-
pressions of spiritual feeling are infinitely varied, and correspond to every
emotion, and to every aspiration of the soul, quickened to the life of faith
and holiness, yet groaning still under the partial bondage of a fleshly na^
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XIX
ture, exposed to the assaults of innumerable enemies, and compassed upon
every side with temptation and infirmity. So that this Book is to be
regarded as a spiritual world, with which the new-born spirit may con-
verse, and acquire the knowledge and use of its faculties, as well as the
knowledge and use of those objects which are revealed therein. And
hence it hath a charm it can never loose, being associated with the simple
and true affections of the spirit, and with the joy and satisfaction which
attend the revelation of any new faculty within us. And this charm must
grow with our growth, and strengthen with our strength ; for according
as. we increase in spiritual strength, we are able to make more of those
feelings our own ; and the more we become acquainted with dialectic
methods, the more we discern their difficulty and uncertainty, and desire
to return to the simple impressions made upon the soul by the words
of the Holy Spirit. And we reckon also that the more we advance in
divine life, the simpler our discourse will become, and the more delivered
from the forms of humanJearning, into the forms of the Spirit's teaching,
until in the end, if by reason of extreme age or languor, we can say no
more, we will say, as is reported of the Apostle John, " Little children,
love one another ;" and when speech is denied us to utter anything, we
will occupy our spiritual musings with some simple forms of divine truth,
as the learned Baxter is reported to have said upon his death-bed, that he
had been meditating all night long upon the great wisdom of the Lord's
prayer and the ten commandments. So that we very much question if
these Psalms, which have the charm of having unloosed to us the secrets
of our own spiritual selves, may not, like a true and faithful friend, con-
tinue to add to their first loveliness and value unto the end. For, as was
said in the beginning, and hath been amply illustrated, the part of our
being which they take hold upon, is notour opinions or our reasonings, or
any of our peculiarities, but those universal feelings of the spiritual man,
which being constant in all, we have denominated spiritual ijistincts ; in
the abiding of which is the abiding of spiritual life, and upon the experi-
ences of which all spiritual knowledge is bulk up.
While executing this sketch of spiritual experience, in order to exhibit
the proper character and true value of the Book of Psalms, several ques-
tions arose to our mind besides those we touched in passing, from the
consideration of which we withheld ourselves till we should have com-
pleted the main purpose of our essay, but which cannot be omitted with-
out leaving it, in a good measure hypothetical, and to which therefore we
now address ourselves.
The first is, how far we are justified in applying to Christian life in
general those feelings and expressions of feeling, which, in the first in-
stance, pertained to individuals, and in general to one individual — David,
the son of Jesse. To this we answer, that spiritual men are the only
proper judges of that which is appropriate to the expression of their feel-
ings, who, from the beginning of the church in the days of Moses, even
until now, have gathered up, and preserved, and appropriated these mor-
sels of divine instruction, as they fell from the lips of the men who spake
them ; and that not in the Jewish church, but in the Christian church,
and these not in latter days, but in primitive days, and the days of the
Fathers, to an extent and depth of spirituality unknown in our times.
The universal church of Christ hath therefore given its witness, that
these Psahns are not made for one age, but for all ages ; not for one
place, but for all places ; not for one soul, but for all souls ; time, place,
XX INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
and person, being only so far present in them, as to associate them with
that generation to which the}^ were first given, not to dissociate them from
any other generation of spiritual children, which, in after ages, was to
be born to the same Spirit by the seed of the word, which liveth and
abideth for ever.
The temptations of David's soul, and its experiences under them, are
as much the property of every saint, and of every age of the church, as
are the discourses, remonstrances, parables, and instructions of our Lord,
to his untoward generation — as are the arguments, and demonstrations,
and Epistles of Paul to the early churches which he planted or watered.
They are all equally personal, (for the Son of God himself was a person)
and the personal runneth like a thread of humanity through the heavenly
hues of their discourse. They are all equally secular, and the conditions
of the age are the frame-work upon which the tissue of the web is woven.
Which presence of the personal, and intermixture of the temporary, in-
stead of taking from the force and power of the revelations, do only apply
them with the nlore force and power to the 'personality of every other
saint and the peculiarity of every other age. For, had the revelations not
breathed of the man who spoke them, and told of the condition of the age
to which they were given, the former would have been an automaton,
and the latter a looker upon the wonders which the automaton spoke ;
neither the one nor the other feeling any interest or concern rn the mar-
vellous display of divine art. But God wished both prophet and people
to take heed, and to stand in awe of fearful issues, if they heeded not ;
therefore, he moulded man to his purpose, and cast him into the condi
tions which suited his ends, and still he was a man, acted on by course
of nature, and manifest to the people as a fellow-man, through whom,
indeed, they heard soul-stirring truths uttered with ear-piercing words,
and, when need was, sustained by attention-riveting works ; but still suit-
ed to their case, and thrust in their way, and spoken to their feelings, and
pressed on their consciences, and riveted there by the most mighty sanc-
tions of life and death, present and eternal. But they are not the less
spoken to us. No, not the less, on that account, spoken to us. Yet, that
we might have no shadow of excuse, nor shield of self-delusion, the Lord
appointed a race of prophets, or ministers, to abide until his coming, who
should be gifted of his Spirit, to apply the universal and unchangeable^ in.
all his revelation, to the condition of every time, place, and individual ;
and so far from abandoning the peculiarity of the revelation, to use that
no less than the other, wherever it will accommodate itself to the case in
hand, and to bring it home with tenfold force, by the application of the
parable, " Thou, even thou thyself, art the very man," — this, even this, is
the very season — this, even this in which we live, is the very condition,
to which this revelation was given.
We do admire how .this automaton-inspiration can stand a thought,
when it is the very rule of heaven's communications, that in every word
of God there should be a humanity^ as well as a divinity present. And
as THE WORD which was in the beginning took not voice, nor intel-
ligence, but flesh, human flesh, and the fulness of the Godhead was mani-
fested bodily ; so, when that same Word came unto the Fathers by the
prophets, and discovered a part of his fulness, it was through their flesh
or their humanity, that is, through their present conditions of spirit, and
mind, and body, and outward estate, that he discovered himself to the
flesh or the humanity of the people, that is, their present conditions of
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXI
spirit, and body, and outward estate. Whence, if it be said that Moses
was Christ under the veil, and if Paul says of himself, that not he but
Christ lived in him, then it may be said, that David was the humiliation
and the exaltation of the church under the veil.
Now, as the apostle, in writing to the Hebrews concerning the priest-
hood of Christ, calls upon them to consider Melchizedek, his solitary
.majesty, and singular condition, and remarkable honour ; so call we upon
Hhe church to consider David, the son of Jesse, his unexampled accumula-
'tion of gifts, his wonderful variety of conditions, his spiritual riches and
his spiritual desolation, and the multifarious contingencies of his life ; with
his faculty, his unrivalled faculty of expressing the emotions of his soul,
under all the days of brightness and days of darkness which passed over
his head. For thereby shall the church understand how this the law-
giver of her devotion was prepared by God for the work which he accom-
'plished, and how it hath happened that one man should have brought
forth that vast variety of experience, in which every soul rejoiceth to find
. itself reflected. For Moses was not more prepared by all the wisdom and
.learning of Egypt, for becoming a fit vehicle to carry from God unto the
people an institution of law, than David was prepared, by the experiences
^--of his life between the sheepcot and the throne, for becoming a fit vehicle
to carry from God unto his church, an institution of spiritual experience,
and devotional feeling.
And we the more gladly enter upon the education and gifts of this
:.i5aint, the great revealer of the moods of the renewed soul, that we may
shame or silence the Rabshekas who rail upon this great type of Mes-
.?siah's humiliation and exaltation, the man after God's own heart. We call
upon the church, and all reasonable men, to consider this man David, how
well furnished he was by nature, and educated by providence, for the
great honour to which the Christian Church hath preferred him.
There never was a specimen of manhood, so rich and ennobled as David,
"the son of Jesse, whom other saints haply may have equalled in single
features of his character, but such a combination of manly, heroic quali-
-ties, such a flush of generous godlike excellencies, hath never yet been
seen embodied in a single man. His Psalms, to speak as a man, do place
»him in the highest rank of lyrical poets, as they set him above all the in-
■spired writers of the Old Testament, — equalling in sublimity the flights
of Isaiah himself, and revealing the cloudy mystery of Ezekiel; but in
. love of country, and gloryings in its heavenly patronage, surpassing them
all. And where are there such expressions of the varied conditions into
which human nature is cast by the accidents of Providence, such delinea-
. tions of deep affliction, and inconsolable anguish, and anon such joy, such
rapture, such revelry of emotion, in the worship of the living God !
;Such invocations to all nature, animate and inanimate, such summonings
of the hidden powers of harmony, and of the breathing instruments of
melody! Single hymns of this poet would have conferred immortality
upon any mortal, and borne down his name as one of the most favoured
of the sons of men.
But it is not the writings of the man, which strike us with such won-
• der, as the actions and events of his wonderful history. He was a hero
without a peer, bold in battle, and generous in victory ; by distress or by
triumph, never overcome. Though hunted like a wild beast among the
.- mountains, and forsaken like a pelican in the wilderness, by the country
f whose armies he had delivered from disgrace, and by the monarch whose
XXU INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
daughter he had won — whose son he had bound to him with cords of
brotherly love, and whose own soul he was wont to charm with the
sacredness of his minstrelsy — he never indulged malice or revenge against
his unnatural enemies. Twice, at the peril of his life, he brought his
blood-hunter within his power, and twice he spared him, and would not
be persuaded to injure a hair upon his head, — who, when he fell in his
high places, was lamented over by David, with the bitterness of a son,
and his death avenged upon the sacrilegious man who had lifted his-
sword against the Lord's anointed. In friendship and love, and also in
domestic affection, he was not less notable than in heroical endowments,,
and in piety towards God he was most remarkable of all. He had to flee
from his bed-chamber in the dead of night, his friendly meetings had to be
concerted upon the perilous edge of captivity and death — his food he had
to seek at the risk of sacrilege — for a refuge from death, to cast himself
upon the people of Gath — to counterfeit idiocy, and become the laughing-
stock of his enemies. And who shall tell of his hidings in the cave of Adul-
Jam, and of his wanderings in the wilderness of Ziph ; in the weariness
of which he had to stand before his armed enemy with all his host, and
by the generosity of his deeds, and the affectionate language which flowed
from his lips, to melt into childlike weeping the obdurate spirit of king
Saul, which had the nerve to evoke the spirits of the dead !
King David was a man extreme in all his excellencies — a man of the
highest strain, whether for counsel, for expression, or for action, in peace
and in war, in exile and on the throne. That such a warm and ebullient
spirit should have given way before the tide of its affections, we wonder
not. We rather wonder that, tried by such extremes, his mighty spirit
should not often have burst control, and enacted right forward the con-
queror, the avenger, and the destroyer. But God, who anointed him
from his childhood, had given him store of the best natural and inspired
gifts, which preserved him from sinking under the long delay of his
promised crown, and kept him from contracting any of the craft or cruelty
of a hunted, persecuted man. And adversity did but bring out the splen-
dour of his character, which might have slumbered like the fire in the-
flint, or the precious metal in the dull and earthy ore.
But to conceive aright of the gracefulness and strength of King David's
character, we must draw him into comparison with men similarly con-
ditioned, and then shall we see how vain the world is to cope with him.
Conceive a man who had saved his country, and clothed himself with
gracefulness and renown in the sight of all the people, by the chivalry
of his deeds won for himself intermarriage with the royal line, and by
unction of the Lord's prophet been set apart to the throne itself; such a
one conceive driven with fury from house and hold, and, through tedious
years, deserted of every stay but heaven, with no soothing sympathies of
quiet life, harassed for ever between famine and the edge of the sword^
and kept in savage holds and deserts : and tell us, in the annals of men,
of one so disappointed, so bereaved and straitened, maintaining not forti-
tude alone, but s\v€et composure and a heavenly frame of soul, inditing
praise to no avenging deity, and couching songs in no revengeful mood,
according with his outcast and unsocial life ; but inditing praises to the
God of mercy, and songs which soar into the third heavens of the soul :
not, indeed, without the burst of sorrow, and the complaint of solitariness,
and prophetic warnings to his blood-thirsty foes, but ever closing in sweet
preludes of good to come, and desire of present contentment Find us
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXlll
such a one in the annals of men, and we yield the argument of this con-
troversy. Men there have been, driven before the wrath of kings, to
wander outlaws and exiles, whose musings and actings have been recorded
to us in the minstrelsy of our native land. Draw these songs of the exile
into comparison with the Psaims of David, and know the spirit of the
man after God's own heart ; the stern defiance of the one, with the tran-
quil acquiescence of the other ; the deep despair of th« one, with the
rooted trust of the other ; the vindictive imprecations of the one, with the
tender regret and forgiveness of the other. Show us an outlaw who
never spoiled the country which had forsaken him, nor turned his hand
in self-defence or revenge upon his persecutors, who used the vigour of
his arm only against the enemies of his country, yea, lifted up his arm in
behalf of that mother, which had cast her son, crowned with salvation,
away from her bosom, and held him at a distance from her love, and
raised the rest of her family to hunt him to the death ; — in the defence of
that thankless, unnatural, mother-country, find us such a repudiated son
lifting up his arm, and spending its vigour, in smiting and utterly dis-
comfiting her enemies, whose spoils he kept not to enrich himself and his
ruthless followers, but dispensed to comfort her and her happier children.
Find us among the Themistocles and Coriolani, and Cromwells, and
Napoleons of the earth such a man, and we will yield the argument of
this controversy which we maintain for the peerless son of Jesse.
But we fear that not such another man is to be found in the recorded
annals of men. Though he rose from the peasantry to fill the throne,
and enlarge the borders of his native land, he gave himself neither to
ambition nor to glory ; though more basely treated than the sons of men,
he gave not place to despondency or revenge ; though of the highest
genius in poetry, he gave it not license to sing his own deeds, not to
depict loose and licentious life, nor to ennoble any worldly sentiment or
attachment of the human heart, however virtuous and honourable, but
constrained it to sing the praises of God, and the victories of the right
hand of the Lord of Hosts, and' his admirable works, which are of old
from everlasting. And he hath dressed out religion in such a rich and
beautiful garment of divine poesy as beseemeth her majesty, in which,
being arrayed, she can stand up before the eyes even of her enemies, in
more royal state, than any personification of love, or glory, or pleasure,
to which highly gifted mortals have devoted their genius.
The force of his character was vast, and thq scope of his life was im-
mense. His harp was full-stringed, and every angel of joy and of sor-
row swept over the chords as he past ; but the melody always breathed
of heaven. And such oceans of affection lay within his breast, as could
not always slumber in their calmness. For the hearts of a hundred men
strove and struggled together within the narrow continent of bis single
heart : and will the scornful men have no sympathy for one so condi-
tioned, but scorn him, because he ruled not with constant quietness, the
unruly host of divers natures which dwelt within his single soul ? Of
self-command surely he will not be held deficient, who endured Saul's
javelin to be so often launched at him, while the people without were
ready to hail him king ; who endured all bodily hardships, and taunts
of his enemies, when revenge was in his hand ; and ruled his desperate
band like a company of saints, and restrained them from their country's
injury. But that he should not be able to enact all characters without a
fault, the simple shepherd, the conquering hero, and the romantic lover ;
XXIV INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
the perfect friend, the innocent outlaw, and the royal monarch ; the poet,
the prophet, and the regenerator of the church ; and, withal, the man^ the
mun of vast soul, who played not these parts by turns, but was the original
of them all, and wholly present in them all. Oh ! that he should have
fulfilled this high priesthood of humanity, this universal ministry of
manhood without an error, were more than human. With the defence
of his backslidings, which he hath himself more keenly scrutinized, more
clearly decerned against, and more bitterly lamented than any of his
censors, we do not charge ourselves, because they were, in a manner,
necessary, that he might be the full-orbed man which was needed to utter
every form of spiritual feeling : but if, when of these acts he became con-
vinced, he be found less true to God, and to righteousness ; indisposed to
repentance and sorrow, and anguish, exculpatory of himself, stout-hearted
in his courses, a formalist in his penitence, or in any way less worthy of
a spiritual man in those than in the rest of his infinite moods, then, verily,
strike him from the canon, and let his Psalms become monkish legends,
or what you please. But if these penitential Psalms discover the soul's
deepest hell of agony, and lay bare the iron ribs of misery, whereon the
very heart dissolveth ; and if they, expressing the same in words which
melt the soul that conceiveth, and bow the head that uttereth them, then,
we say, let us keep these records of the Psalmist's grief and despondency,
as the most precious of his utterances, and sure to be needed in the case
of every man who essayeth to live a spiritual life. For, though the self-
satisfied moralist, and the diligent Pharisee, and all that pigmy breed of
purists, who make unto themselves a small and puny theory of life, and
please their meagre souls with the idea of keeping it thoroughly, smiting
upon their thigh, and protesting by their unsullied honour and inviolate
truth, and playing other tricks of self-sufficiency, will little understand
what we are about to say, we will, nevertheless, for truth's sake, utter it;
that, until a man, however pure, honest, and honourable he may have
thought himself, and been thought by others, discovereth himself to be
utterly fallen, defiled, and sinful in the sight of God, a worm of the earth
and no man, his soul cleaving to the dust, and bearing about with it a
body of sin and death ; and until, for expressions of his utter worthless-
ness, he seek those Psalms in which the Psalmist describes the abasement
of his soul, yea, and can make them his own, that man hath not known
the beginnings of the spiritual life within the soul : for (let him that readeth
understand) a man must break up before there is any hope of him ; he
must be contrite and broken in spirit, before the Lord will dwell with
him.
Of all the delusions with which Satan lulls man into sweet security,
■this of our completeness and integrity is the most fatal. While we dwell
in the idea of our rectitude, our unsullied purity, our inflexible honesty,
our truth, our moral worth, and think that we implement any, the lowest,
of God's commandments, (but they are all equally high) we are like the
hard and baked earth, whose surface haply some sward of greenness may
cover, but which will not wave with the rich and fruitful harvest, until
you bury that first crop of nature under the share of the plough, and turn
up the rough black mould to the heat of the sun, and the genial action of
the air, and, the ancient roots being scorched up, sow it anew with pre-
cious seed, and wait upon the same with diligent husbandry. Where
fhis soul-tillage hath taken place and the integrity of selfisness is broken
«p, and the poisonous weeds of selfishness are cut down, and our shallow
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXV
and insufficient righteousness trodden under foot; when the old man
hath broken into pieces, and we feel ourselves murderers, adulterers,
thieves, liars, in the sight of God, then shall we come to use. and thank
God that we have at hand, the penitential Psalms of David ; the confes-
sions, the groanings, the languishings of the desolate king of Israel. It
booteth not that we have not committed the acts, we wanted power, we
wanted opportunity, we wanted means ; but ah ! we wanted not will.
It was in our heart, out of which proceed murders, adulteries, thefts, false
witness. It hath been all the while in our heart, and we knew it not. It
was rooted there, and we fostered it. Ay, and it will cause us bitter
groans, ere it will leave the place of its roots.
But to return from these rebukes of the scorners, to the instruction of
the Christian Church upon the fitness of David to be their Psalmist. —
Why were such oceans of feeling poured into David's soul, such true and
graceful utterance of poetry infused into his lips, and such skill of music
seated in his right hand? Such oceans of feeling did God infuse into his
soul, and such utterance of poetry he placed between his lips, and such
skilful music he seated in his right hand, in order that he might conceive
forms of feeling for all saints, and create an everlasting Psalmody, and
hand down an organ for expressing the melody of the "renewed soul.
The Lord did not intend that his church should be without a rule for ut-
tering its gladness and its glory, its lamentation and its grief; and to
bring such a rule and institute into being, he raised up his servant
David, as formerly he raised up Moses to give to the Church an in-
stitute of law. And to that end he led him the round of all human con-
ditions, that he might catch the spirit proper to every one, and utter it ac-
cording to truth ; he allowed him not to curtail his being by treading the
round of one function, but by every variety of functions, he cultivated his
whole being, and filled his soul with wisdom and feeling. He found
him objects for every affection, that the affection might not slumber and
die. He brought him up in the sheep-pastures, that the groundwork of
his character might be laid amongst the simple and universal forms of
feeling. He took him to the camp, and made him a conqueror, that he
might be filled with nobleness of soul and ideas of glory. He placed
him in the palace, that he might be filled with ideas of majesty and
sovereign might. He carried him to the wilderness, and placed him in
solitudes, that his soul might dwell alone in the sublime conceptions of
God, and his mighty works ; and he kept him there for long years, with
only one step between him and death, that he might be well schooled to
trust and depend upon the Providence of God. And in none of these
various conditions and avocations of life, did he take away from him his
Holy Spirit. His trials were but the tuning of the instrument with which
the Spirit might express the various melodies which he designed to utter
by him for the consolation and edification of spiritual men. It was the
education of the man most appropriate for the divine vocation of the man.
John the Baptist being to be used for rough work, was trained in the
rough desert ; Paul being to be used for contentions and learned work,
was trained at Gamaliel's feet ; Daniel being to be used for judgment and
revelation, was trained in the wisdom of the east ; Joseph being to be
used as a providence to Egypt and his Father's house, was trained in the
hardest school of providence ; and every one hath been disciplined by the
providence of God, as well as furnished in the fountains of his being, for
that particular work for which the Spirit of God designed him. There-
XXVI INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
fore, David had that brilliant galaxy of natural gifts, that rich and varied
education, in order to fit him for executing the high office to which he
was called by the Spirit, of giving to the church those universal forms of
spiritual feeling, whereof we have been endeavouring to set forth the ex-
cellent applications. And, though we neither excuse his acts of wicked-
ness, nor impute them to the temptation of God, who cannot be tempted
of evil, neither tempteth any man, we will also add, that by his loss the
church has gained ; and that out of the evil of his ways, much good hath
been made to arise ; and that if he had not passed through every valley of
humiliation, and stumbled upon the dark mountains, we should not have
had a language for the souls of the penitent, or an expression for the dark
troubles which compass the soul, that feareth to be deserted by its God.
So much for the fitness of the Psalmist to have been made the organ of
spiritual feeling unto the Church.
There is another question which remains for resolution, before bring-
ing this Essay to a close. In how far the good Bishop Home and others,
are justified in referring so much of these Psalms to the Messiah.
In maintaining for these Psalms the high place which the universal
voice of the Christian church hath assigned to them, there is a tendency
to pass into the extreme of applying them wholly to Christ, and finding
some experience of Christ's soal in every experience of the Psalmist's
soul. Now, while it is true, that of all these Psalms are still applicable
to the saints and to the church, because the saints and the church are still
compassed about with the same fleshly nature, and worldly dispositions,
liable to the same backslidings, idolatries, and oppositions as heretofore,
none of them which confess transgression, and lament over indwelling
sin, are 'at any time applicable unto Christ, who suffered indeed as David,
and all his seed have suffered from the plottings of the world, and the
enmity of the devil, and was in all points tempted as they are, — yet with-
out sin, without sliding back, without opposing himself to his Father,
without yielding to the temptation ; wherefore, it is little short of blas-
phemy to apply unto the spotless and blameless Saviour, any or all of
those spiritual experiences, any or all of those deep self-accusations, any
or all of those entreaties for forgiveness which compose so large a portion
of the Psalms of David, and the spiritual utterances of David's seed.
Surely no spiritual man in these times would apply to Christ his personal
experiences of sin and sorrow for sin. No more can the Psalmist's be
applied unto Christ, without confounding the workings of the first Adam
with the workings of the second Adam, and destroying all those distinc-
tions between good and evil, which it is the end of revelation to define and
demonstrate. The workings of the second Adam, by which we become con-
vinced of sin, and desirous of holiness, separate from the world, and hated
of it, united to God, and beloved of him, are in us as in David, all derived
from Christ, and will apply to Christ's own experience in the flesh. For
the word of God manifested in the Son of Mary, is the same word of God
which came by the Spirit unto the- prophets, and which is applied by the
Spirit unto us who beheve, who are only members of Christ, suffering and
enjoying with our living and life-giving Head. And, therefore, we may
well apply to him, what by his Spirit is revealed in us. But that other
part within us which holdeth of the first Adam, and which lusteth against
the Spirit, loveth the world, and with all its instincts warreth against God,
whose evil deeds a Christian, if he speak truth, must constantly confess,
and seek grace to overcome ; — to apply any of the foul deeds, or wicked
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXVll
experiences thereof unto Christ, is a wonderful blindness which hath
come over certain holy men in the church, from their eagerness to find
Christ every where in these consecrated songs.
And yet the path to this error is open, and very easily fallen upon.
For in those Psalms which have been applied in the New Testament unto
Christ, it is found difficult, if not impossible, to separate the Psalmist's
personal experience from that of Christ, or to find how, without much
violence, they can be wholly appropriate to Messiah. Now, with as little
straining of interpretation, they judge that another and another, and at
length all may be applied to Christ, in a typical, or in a real signification.
But this is to err from ignorance of the prophetic Scriptures. Except the
prophecies of Daniel, and the prophecies of the Apocalypse, the other
prophecies are always of a mixed character, belonging partly to the times,
and partly surpassing the conditions of the times, and occasionally glan-
cing through to the very end of time. So that in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and the other prophets, even in our Lord's prophecies of his second com-
ing, and the Apostles' constant reference thereto, you cannot by any en-
deavour make a clear separation between that which was then fulfilled,
or hath since been fulfilled, and that which still standeth over to be ful-
filled. The reason of which doubtless is explained by our Lord, that the
times and the seasons, the Father hath kept in his own power, so that
even the Son himself was not permitted to reveal them. And Peter saith,
that the prophets inquired diligently, but could not discover what and what
manner of things the Spirit which was in them did signify. And I doubt
not that the Apostles might themselves be as ignorant of the time of the
second coming of Christ, as the prophets were of his first coming. Which
taken together, is an illustration of this great law which may be gathered
from the very face of the prophetic writings. That they arose by the
suggestion of some condition of the church, present in the days of the
prophets, as the particular case, but passing beyond this in time, and pass-
ing beyond it in aggravation of every circumstance, they give, as it were,
a consecutive glance of all the like cases, and kindred passages in the his-
tory of the church, and bring out the general law of God's providence
and grace in the present, and in all the future parallel cases ; — yet with
such mark of different times interspersed as may be sufficient, by a skilful
comparison with the exact and historical prophecies of Daniel and the
Revelations, to draw the attention of the wise to their coming, and suffice
to the convictions of the unwise when they are past. Of this great law
of prophetic writing, the confusion of David and Messiah in the Psalms
referred to, are only one instance. David's prophecies of Messiah which
are personal, arose by suggestion of the Spirit, from his own personal ex-
periences, and include it. His prophecies of Messiah, which are roi/al
and kingly, arose out of his kingly experience, and the two persons are
interwoven with one another in such a manner as not to be separable, just
as in the other prophecies, the first, and second, and third events to which
they have reference, are, in like manner, interwoven.
Which so far from being an evil, is a great beauty in the Psalms ; so
far from being an inconvenience, is a great advantage to those who un-
derstand aright. In connecting David with the Messiah, it connects the
church and every particular saint who adopts David's feeling:s with Mes-
siah, the children with their parents, the subjects with their king ; so that
we cannot sing his praise or his triumphs, but we must take ourselves in
as a part, and be embraced in the very praises of our great Head, and
XXVlll INTfeODUCTORY ESSAY.
are not permitted to separate ourselves from him ; but at once are we
constrained to worship the objective Saviour, who is at. the right hand of
God ; and the subjective Saviour, who is in us ; the objective Saviour who
humbled himself to the cross, and the subjective Saviour who humbled
himself to behold and redeem his servant ; the objective Saviour who as-
cended up on high, leading captivity captive, and the subjective Saviour
who in us hath triumphed over death, and raised us to newness of life,
who liveth with us and is seated in the throne of our hearts. Which
happy blending of our spiritual nature, suffering or enjoying with Christ
suffering or enjoying, we should have lost, had we been able to separate
between David and Christ in those Psalms which have a reference to
Christ. For at one time we should have sung objectively of Christ, and
at another subjectively of ourselves, as represented in David, and so lost
the intermarriage of the object with the subject, which is the true propa-
gation of religion in the soul ; — a loss this which the Christians are be-
ginning to experience in those modern Hymns which are coming into
use, and those metrical versions which have the boldness to paraphrase
the Psalms, and new-model them to the present times, (a most daring in-
novation upon a book of Scripture). Therefore, while we reject the
puerile conceit, and most mischievous dogma which would make every
word of these Psalms to be applicable to Christ, we feel greatly indebted
to any commentator, who, preserving sound principles of interpretation,
can find the Saviour present in the Psalms, which is to give not only
more sacredness and spirituality to them, but to increase that happy blend-
ing of subjective and objective religion, which is the best condition for
true and spiritual worship. And if the commentary of Bishop Home
be more valuable on one account than another, it is for this very reason,
that his strong spiritual senses have been able to discern and point out
the presence of Christ in many Psalms, where the reader had not per-
ceived it before. In doing which, he hath not strained the sense of the
passage, nor generalized and refined upon the person and character of
Christ, but simply exercised that spiritual sense which was strong in him
to perceive and to adore his Lord.
And now that we are brought to speak of this commentary of Bishop
Home, we would, before delivering our opinion of it, with which we
shall conclude, beg it to be understood, that we have no such idea in our
mind, as that any thing we can say should commend a book which hath
commended itself to Christians ever since the time of its publication ; and
that we have had no such aim or intention before us in this Essay. But in
a Series of Select Christian Authors, which should present to the Chris-
tian world the spirit of Christian divinity in its most practical and profit-
able form, we felt that it would have been a great blank indeed, if we did
not offer some work which should contain an enlightened and spiritual
exposition of the Gospel as it is written in the Book of Psalms ; for what
are the Psalms but the poetical lyrical form of the Gospel ? And what
work could we put into our Series so worthy of a place, and so fit to fill
the blank, as the Commentary of Bishop Home, from which the souJs
of the pious have derived so much edification ? It is a book of a most
orthodox and evangelical odour, of great learning though not displayed^
of a sufficient knowledge and of a pure classical taste, by which the whole
man may be furnished to every good word and work ; his soul elevated,
his mind filled, his heart purified and refined ; his knowledge enlarged,
his faith quickened, his new obedience enlarged ; but above all, his love
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XXIX
and affections drawn out and fixed upon the blessed Saviour and Re-
deemer of his soul.
With a too frequent reference to the Messiah he hath been charged, but
this is the charge of those but half-enlightened in spiritual truth, and far
short of the mark of Christian doctrine, and which will of itself be forgot-
ten, (as indeed it is already in a good measure forgotten) when they shall
have risen into the comprehension of a more spiritual and enlarged theol-
ogy, and the divines of the Church shall have constructed out of the ruins,
the noble shafts, and columns, and massive remains of former systems of
theology, another building, which may represent the glory of divine truth
to the outward eye of these present times, which differ widely from the
times in which those former buildings were erected. If, instead of ma-
king collections of Hymns, many of them disgusting both to taste and feel-
ing, and all of them beneath the mark of divine Psalmody ; if, instead of
making other editions of the Book of Psalms with improvements ; if, in-
stead of multiplying paraphrases and translations, the churches would re-
quire of their ministers (what heretofore the ministers of their own accord
were wont to do,) to preface upon the Psalms, or set forth their spiritual
significations to the people, their prophetic anticipations, and their rich
unction of heavenly poesy — that would be to do for the people every Sab-
bath, what Bishop Home hath done for the Church in this excellent
book ; then, from our old metrical versions of the Psalms, however bald,
and especially from our Scottish version because of its very baldness, that
is its want of what they call poetic diction, (but the simplest, truest diction
is the most poetical,) we would anticipate infinitely more benefit to the
spiritual life of the saints, and the conviction of the ungodly^ than if you
were to congregate a whole sanhedrim of poets, (as that name goes at
present,) and requiring of them to work up the remnant of their wits into
Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. But there be a few poets of the
ancient seed still extant in the land, and of these there are some who have
shown themselves masters in the simple stanza of the old song, and who
add thereto the faith and feeling of revealed religion,* to whom we would
recommend it as an object worthy of their muse, to give to us an improved
metrical version of the Psalms, whose improvement should consist in not"
sacrificing the true expression of the original to mere poetical language,
but in a close adherence to the words of the original, even a more close
condensation of them than in the prose version, of which condensation our
Scottish version contains many admirable examples.
But to return to the good Bishop Home. We know of no Commen-
tary upon the Book of Psalms, more likely to be influential in awakening
the natural heart to a due sense of their real signification, than that which
he hath gathered from all sources, both of his own learning and experi-
ence, and those of others, and combined together in this brief but suffi-
cient Treatise. He was eminently qualified to perform the task^'hich he
had undertaken to execute. His spiritual elucidations, and deeply affect-
ing applications, must approve themselves to every feeling and unpreju-
diced heart ; to every mind which is not altogether dead and callous to
the words of spiritual truth ; to every ear which is not deaf as the adder
to the sweet and pleasant voice of the charmer. Here the man of polished
taste will meet witji nothing to discompose his nicest associations of intel-
lectual refinement with religion, but will find himself addressed in the
* We may only name Montgomery, Coleridge, and Wordsworth.
XXX INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.
language of the schools with much beauty of style and harmony of dic-
tion. Good taste in the widest and fullest acceptation of the term, is a
never-failing characteristic of the pious and classical Author of this Com
mentary. Himself a high dignitary in the Church of England, and the
president of one of the colleges of a learned university, our author is at
once upon a level with his most critical and his most dignified readers.
We cannot therefore but rejoice, that a Christian Bishop should be found
consecrating his pen to the sacred cause of spiritual truth, and presenting
its sane and salutary lessons to the religious votaries of rank, who love
an outward dignity in the church as in the world. But the truly pious
of all ranks will here find a food well suited to their spiritual taste, a
nourishment proper to their growth in knowledge and in grace, many a
rich and precious cordial for the support of their fainting spirits, many a
sweet physician-like application of the balm that is in Gilead, and of the
leaves which are for the healing of the nations. And if the man of criti-
cal taste and dignified associations will never be shocked by vulgarity
of style and homeliness of diction, but rather attracted by the grace
and beauty of the discourse; so also will the Christian, whose enlarged
spirit hath been set free to soar far beyond the narrow confines of polemi-
cal theology, never find himself aggrieved by the strait narrow moulds
of a mind, or the angular points of controversial bigotry. Every senti-
ment in this exposition he will find free of that sickening leaven which
leaveneth many a loaf of wholesome food. Finally, we may venture
to assert, that believers of all churches and denominations will be able to
peruse, with satisfaction and delight, this spiritual exposition of the Book
of Psalms, and that whilst they read they will find themselves identified
after a new and delightful manner, with the inspired son of Jesse: above
all, if they drink deep into the spirit of this Commentary, will they find
themselves linked to the spiritual David by a thousand minute and tender
ties, whose existence they may not hitherto have perceived, or of which
they may at least have been but faintly conscious. For every line breathes
of the Messiah, and every sentiment leads to him. In every thought the
spiritual David hath a share, who is here, what in all Christian works he
should be, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first
and the last of the Author's desire and delight.
E. I.
London^ May^ 1825.
«l^
MEMOIR
RIGHT REVEREND GEORGE HORNE, D.D.
LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH.
This exemplary prelate was the son of the reverend Samuel Home, M. A. rector
of Brede, in Sussex, and of Otham, in Kent, in the last of which livings he was
succeeded, in 1768, by his son William Home, M. A. formerly demy of Magdalen
College, Oxford. The Bishop was born at Otham, and baptized in the parish church
there, November 1, 1730. His early education was conducted by his worthy father,
and next by the reverend Deodatus Bye, master of Maidstone grammar school, who
observed, at his admission, that " he was fitter to go from school than to come to it."
In March 1745-6, he was admitted at University College, Oxford, having been pre-
viously chosen to a scholarship from Maidstone school ; and, in October 1749, he took
liis degree of bachelor of arts. The year following, he was elected to the fellowship
of Magdalen College, which is appropriated to a native of the county of Kent. He
was a very laborious student, and he had an elegant taste in Greek, Latin, and En-
glish poetry, of which he gave many admirable specimens, while he was no more than
undergraduate in the university. His constant aim, however, was to render the acqui-
sition of polite literature subservient to the study of theology and the illustration of the
sacred writings. In the language of the early companion of his literary pursuits, and
who became his chaplain and biographer, " he raised his thoughts from the poets and
orators of Greece and Rome, to the contemplation of the great Creator's wisdom, in
his word and in his works."* While at University College he became enamoured of
the Hebrew language, which he studied with close application, and this brought him
acquainted with the writings of the learned John Hutchinson, whose whole life was
devoted to the great object of deducing from the Mosaic scriptures the principles of true
philosophy.
In 1751, Mr. Home manifested his attachment to this system, which was at that
time exceedingly vmpopular in our seats of learning, by publishing without his name, a
tract entitled, " The Theology and Philosophy in Cicero's Somnium Scipiionis explained ;
or a brief attempt to demonstrate, that the Newtonian system is perfectly agreeable
to the notions of the wisest ancients ; and that mathematical principles are the only
sure ones." The chief merit of this pamphlet lies in its wit, the aim of it being to
expose the received philosophy as no other than a revival of what was maintained ages
ago by Cicero and the Stoics.
In June 1752, Mr. Home took his degree of master of arts, and about the same
time he engaged in a controversy, through the medium of the Gentleman's Magazine,
on the subject of the Cherubim, which he, in common with the followers of Hutchin-
son, held to be symbolical of the Trinity. The letters of our author were signed In-
genius ; but the publisher of the magazine, after suffering the discussion to commence
in that work, put a stop to it, by declining to insert the reply which Mr. Home drew
up in defence of the doctrine he espoused, thus exercising an unwarrantable disposition
over the privilege of inquiry, and the freedom of the press. The year following, Mr.
* Dedication to the Rev. William Jones' Sermon "On the Natural History of the Earth and ita
Uineials." 8vo.l787.
4 MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE.
Horne published a masterly pamphlet, with this title, " A fair, candid, and impartial
state of the case between Sir Isaac Newton and Mr. Hutchinson : In which is shown,
how far a system of physics is capable of mathematical demonstration : how far Sir
Isaac's, as such a system, has that demonstration ; and, consequently, what regard Mr.
Hutchinson's claim may deserve to have paid to it." Of this luminous and closely
reasoned production, which was never answered, a new edition appeared in 1795. In
the year 1754, our author gave to the world, though anonymously, an ironical piece
with this curious title, " Spicilegium Shuckfordianum, or a nosegay for the critics ;
being some choice flowers of modern theology and criticism, gathered out of Dr. Shuck-
ford's* supplemental discourse on the creation and fall of man, not forgetting Dr. Gar-
net'st Vatikra."
But religious controversy and philosophical pursuits were far from narrowing the
mind and abating the cheerfulness of this amiable man ; for at this period we find
him corresponding with Mr. Berkeley, son of the excellent bishop of Cloyne, in a strain
of playful humour and fervent piety, of which the following letter is in admirable
specimen.
Mag. Coll Oxon. May 10, 1755.
Mv DEAREST GeORGE,
It was with the greatest pleasure that I set my eyes on your hand-writing, and with
no less do I now take up the pen to have some conversation with you upon paper,
which is very sweet and comfortable when we are prevented from having it face to
face. Without this, the hurry about us, and constant succession of fresh objects,
insensibly deface the image of absent friends in our hearts, (such is our weakness and
frailty) in spite of all our endeavours to the contrar)'. How lamentably would this be
the case with regard to our best friend, our absent Lord and Master, were it not for
those letters full of love, the Holy Scriptures, which come directed to every soul,
though so few take the trouble to open the seals and read them. As he has been
pleased (blessed be his holy name for it) to lead us to a knowledge of them, we should
be taking all opportunities of comforting and encouraging one another in this our pil-
grimage through the land of the dead, to the land of the living. When we cannot do
it by talking, we must do it by writing. And those can never want a subject to write
upon, who have an interest in him, and are concerned in the increase of his kingdom ;
who, as members of the same body, have an intimate fellow-feeling, and all suffer or
rejoice for the loss or recovery of a limb.
Archdeacon Hamilton I know well, and am happy in calling him my old friend and
companion. He is a Christian in head and heart, the one enlightened with knowledge,
the other warm with love ; equally removed from a dead profession and a groundless
enthusiasm, the two baneful plagues of this (I am afraid I must say falling) church.
The news of his recovery, since attested by a kind and most excellent letter from him-
self, we received with great joy. He comes forth like gold tried and brightened in the
furnace of sorrows and adversity, to enrich many with the riches of grace, the trea-
sures of wisdom and knowledge, hid in Christ, and manifested by the preaching of the
Gospel of God. I rejoice to hear you have other faithful labourers on that side of the
water, which confirms to us the truth of that divine maxim, that God will never leave
himself without a witness. There is always a call, if men had but ears to hear, which
nothing but grace can furnish them with, — " The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the
Lord hath made both of them." — I shall be glad to hear how Dr. Ellist goes on, and
whether he buTlds up as well as he pulls down. You surprise me much with the ac-
count of bishop Brown§ being an admirer of Hutchinson. Let us know a little of your
confab together, and how that matter stands. When you see young Mrs. Brown, pre-
sent my compliments to her, and likewise to the other sister, good Mrs. Breviter, a near
relation of Mrs. Quickly of facetious memory. You mention nothing of Mr. Auchmuty,
an old friend of mine at Edmund Hall, son, I think, of the late dean of Armagh. If
* Samuel Shuckford, D. D. author of the "Connexions of Sacred and Profane History," and other
works of great learning. He was prebendary of Canterbury, and died in 1754.
t John Garnet, D. D. who, by going to Ireland with the Duke of Dorset, in 1751, obtained the
bishopric of Leighlin and Ferns, from whence he was translated to Clogher. He died in 1782.
Bishop Garnet was the author of a very ponderous treatise on the Book of Job, to which, like War-
burton, he assigns a date posterior to the captivity.
% Dr. John Ellis, formerly of Brasennose College, Oxford, afterwards beneficed at Chester, and,
lastly, in Dublin. He was the author of a very valuable treatise which cuts up infidelity by the
roots. This work, entitled, " The Knowledge of Divine Things from Revelation, not from Reasoa
or Nature," appeared first in one volume octavo, in 1743. and has since been reprinted three times.
^ Dr. Peter Brown, bishop of Cork, and the author of " The Procedure of Human Understanding ;*
"Things Divine and Supernatural conceived by Analogy ;" "Sermons," 2 vols. &c.
MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE. 5
he be in Dublin's own self, touch him up. He knows the truth, but, I am afraid, sleep-
eth. Give him a jog or so.
Now for a dash at Oxford news. The plantation at Christ Church thrives and flou-
rishes. Little Charles by going to a play, (the Conscious Lovers, I think) and scamper-
ing from hence again upon our friend Pie-ball, to dance upon his brother's birtii-night,
has pretty well got over the imputation of methodism, and things are quiet. I intend
to exist with him often in a paradisaical way, in the neighbourhood of the Wheat
Sheaf, the prettiest retirement from the noise and hurry of the worid that I know.
That most excellent youth ille nosier, is much better in mind and body, having taken
our advice concerning the nature, use and advantages, of an able-bodied servitor, to
assist in the education of the Mr. L.'s men, more famous than they are likely to be
useful in their generations.
I have spent two or three evenings with Dr. Patten,* in whose manner and conver-
sation the Spirit of Christianity breathes as strong as ever I saw it. He is quite a
spiritual man, and has imbibed Law's piety without his whims.t We have had a pretty
translation of Psalm cvii. from Ben Wheeler,}: of Trinity, occasioned by reading Ro-
raaine,§ so that you see we are putting on W'^fi^ Jr')5N5-ll
Going last Sunday evening to call upon Glasse,ir I found him and Charles Poyntz,**
instead of flaunting in our carnival walks, sitting together over the cordial bishop Hall.
How acceptable to God are such young converts ! It brought to my mind a sweet pas-
sage in the Song ; " I went down into the garden, to see the fruils of the valley, to see
whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranate budded."
And now, my dear friend, what shall I say more? It has pleased God to bring you
up to an early piety, under the best of fathers, an ornament and honour to the Chris-
tian church, to keep you steady in the communion, doctrine, and discipline of that
church, committed to the saints by Jesus Christ, the glorious head of it ; to lead you
to those living fountains of waters, the Holy Scriptures, which to so many are indeed
" a fountain sealed," and not to be opened but by the keys of David, so graciously put
into our hands ; to give you a noble courage, undaunted perseverance of mind, and
great readiness of speech ; and thus furnished, to throw you into a large acquaintance
amongst the heads and rulers of our disordered affairs. Gird close, therefore, the ar-
mour of God, pray earnestly for the wisdom of the Spirit to direct ; and his almighty
power to strengthen you ; thus go forth in the name of Jesus Christ, the conqueror of
fiin, death, and hell, and — " the Lord prosper you, I wish you good luck in the name of
the Lord." And oh ! in your prayers to the throne of grace, remember one, whose
ardent desire it is, by giving you any assistance in his power, to prove himself, your
sincere and aflfectionate brother in the faith of Christ,
G. HORNE.
Love to the Archdeacon, who shall hear soon from me. I am just told there is an
apology come out for the clergy against Romaine. If we can once make them talk we
shall do. " The dumb spake, and the people wondered!"
To George Berkeley, Esq. Mary-street, Dublin.
About this time our author published two sermons ; one preached in Magdalen Col-
lege Chapel, on the anniversary of St. John the Baptist ; and the other, entitled,
* Thomas Patten, D. D. then fellow of Corpus Christ! College, and afterwards rector of Childrey
in Berkshire. He was the author of some excellent Sermons, and died in 1790.
t William Law, A. M. He was a nonjuring divine, or one who refused to take the oaths to the
reigning family. He was domesticated as chaplain in the family of Mr. Gibbon, the historian, who
speaks highly of his piety and genius. It is however to be lamented that the author of " the Seri-
ous Call to a devout and holy life," should have fallen into the very dregs of mysticism. He died
in 1761.
X Benjamin Wheeler, of Trinity College, and afterwards fellow of Magdalen College, took hia
doctor's degree in 1770, and died July 21, 1783. He was professor of poetry in the University ; and
of whom Dr. Johnson, in a letter to a young clergyman, relates the following anecdote; — "My
learned friend. Dr. Wheeler of Oxford, when he was a young man, had the care of a neighbouring
parish, for which he was never paid ; but he counted it a convenience, that it compelled him to-
make a sermon weekly. One woman he could not bring to the communion ; and when he reproved
or exhorted her, she only answered, that she was no scholar. He was advised to set some good
woman or man of the parish, a little wiser then herself, to talk to her in language level toher mind."^
^ The late celebrated William Romaine, M. A. rector of St. Anne, Blackfriars, who had just before
published his Discourse on the 107th Psalm.
II The covering of truth.
IT Samuel Glasse, then a student of Christ Church, D. D. in 1769, and afterwards chaplain in or-
dinary to his majesty, and rector of Wanstead. Between this excellent divine and bishop Horae».
the closest intimacy subsisted during life.
** Charles Poyntz, was M. A. of Christ Church, in 1759, and D. D. in 1769.
6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE.
"Christ the Light of the World." It is very extraordinary, that neither of these
vahiable discourses should have found a place in the collection of his works ; which
unaccountable omission leads us to express our regret that a correct and uniform edi-
tion of the productions of this sound divine and elegant writer, has not hitherto made
its appearance. The publication of the sermon preached in the university pulpit,
brought the author into a controversy, in which he distinguished himself not more
by his zeal for truth, than by Christian meekness. In 1756, appeared a pamphlet
with this title, " A Word to the Hutchinsonians ; or, Remarks on three extraordinary
Sermons, lately preached before the University of Oxford, by the Rev. Dr. Patten, the
Rev. Mr. Wetherell,* and the Rev. Mr. Home." About the same time was published,
another tract to the same purpose, but to which the author had the candour of prefix-
ing his name. This last piece bears the title of " The Use of Reason, asserted in mat-
ters of Religion ; or. Natural Religion the foundation of Revealed. In answer to a
Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, on Whit-Sunday, July 13, 1755 ;
and lately published at the request of the Vice-Clmncellor, and other heads of houses,
by T. Patten, D. D. Fellow of Corpus College; by Ralph Heathcote, M. A. of
Jesus College, Cambridge, and assistant preacher at Lincoln's Inn." 'J'o these vio-
lent attacks upon a set of respectable scholars, who had no otherwise rendered them-
selves the object of censure, than by exerting themselves with peculiar energy in the
revival of Hebrew literature, our author replied in " An Apology for certain Gentle-
men in the University of Oxford, aspersed in a late anonymous pamphlet ; with a post-
script concerning another pamphlet lately published by the Rev. Mr. Heathcote." The
last of these adversaries had prudence enough to withdraw from a contest into which
he had obtruded out of vanity, and to ingratiate himself into the favour of his friend,
the redoubtable Dr. Warburton ; but the anonymous writer who had provoked the war-
fare, continued it, though with a feeble hand, in a tract entitled, *' True Censure no
Aspersion ; or a vindication of a late seasonable admonition, called a Word to the
Hutchinsonians, in a letter to the Rev. Mr. Home." It is now well known that this
piece, and the one which it defends, came from the pen of Mr. Kennicott, the cele-
brated collator of Hebrew manuscripts, whose learning lay contracted within very nar-
row limits, but who compensated the want of genius and judgment by the most inde-
fatigable industry. The illiberality with which this divine treated some of his con-
temporaries, who were by much his superiors, not only in general knowledge, but even
in that branch of study upon which he prided himself the most, very naturally excited
their jealousy, when they saw him embark in a concern of such apparent hazard, as
that of publishing an improved edition of the Old Testament. Estimating his abilities
by what they knew of him, and of his spirit, by these intemperate publications, the
persons who were stigmatized as a sect, by the name of Hutchinsonians, regarded the
project of Kennicott in the light of a speculation pregnant with mischief to the cause
of revelation. Among others, who took alarm on this occasion, was Mr. Home, whose
apprehensions, instead of being removed by the publication of the plan, were increased
by the petulance of its language, the confidence of the author, and the freedom of his
censures. This work drew from Mr Home one of the keenest of his performances,
under the title of " A View of Mr. Kennicott's method of correcting the Hebrew Text,
with three queries formed thereupon, and twenty submitted to the consideration of the
learned and Christian world." It is but justice, however, to these two eminent men,
to observe in this place, that as the work which was the subject of animadversion in
this tract proceeded, the opposition to it abated, in consequence of the circumspection
adopted by the collator, who had the discretion to turn the hints of his opponents to
the advantage of his literary labours. Thus controversy, when properly managed and
duly improved, tends to put the one party upon his guard, and to direct him in a better
course, while it acts as a stimulant to the other in detecting errors, and suggesting
practical improvements. The province of science has been extended by those disputes,
in which the world at large finds little interest, and of which superficial minds are apt
to entertain an unfavourable judgment, as though it were nothing more than a waste
of words and the ebullition of passion excited by the difference of opinion. But it
should be considered, that truth is not elicited without inquiry, and that on subjects of
importance, wlien men of ability contend, they of necessity bring forward their strong-
est reasons, and examine every argument and testimony with a rigid and scrupulous
severity. It is, however, happy when theological contests are conducted in the spirit
which distinguished that great ornament of our church, the judicious Hooker, whose
sharpest language to a captious disputant was this, " Your next argument consists of
* Nathan Wetherell, of University College, took his Master's Degree in 1750, and those of B. and
D. D. in 1764. He became Master of his college, Prebendary of Westminster, and Dean of Hereford.
MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE. 7
Tailing and of reasons ; to your railing I say nothing ; to your reasons, I say what fol-
lows." Such was the temper in which our author defended the principles he espoused:
and it is pleasing to remark, that though he had received rather coarse treatment from
Kennicott, and thought very little of his great scheme, a perfect friendship afterwards
subsisted between them, which was not in the least disturbed till the death of the col-
lator, in 1783.
In 1758, Mr. Home discharged the office of junior proctor of the University;
-and the next year, he took his degree of Baclielor in Divinity. At this time he was
a liberal correspondent of Ur. Dodd, who had then undertaken the management of
the Christian Magazine, for Newberry. Some of the most valuable papers in that
useful miscellany came from the pen of our author, under the signature of Acade-
micus.
In 1764, he took the degree of Doctor in Divinity ; but it is remarkable that he never
had any benefice, or preferment, till, by the death of Dr. Jenner, President of Magda-
len College, in 1768, he was elected to succeed him in that important station. This
year he also entered into the marriage state, with the daughter of Philip Burton, Esq.
of Hatton-street, in London, and of Eltham, in Kent. By this lady he had three
daughters. The year following he testified his regard for the Junior members of his
college, by publishing, with a view to their edification, *' Considerations on the Life and
Death of St. John the Baptist." This inestimable little work was the substance of
several sermons, which were delivered by the author, before the University, in Magda-
len Chapel, according to annual custom.
In 1771 he was appointed Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty ; and in 1772, when
an association was formed by those divines who inclined to the Arian or Socinian tenets,
for the purpose of abolishing subscription to the Thirty-nine Articles, Dr. Home printed
a letter, addressed to Lord North, " On the projected Reforrnation of the Church of
England ;" in which he showed clearly, that the projected scheme, instead of promoting
unity, and advancing the cause of Christianity, would be the occasion of discord, and
the sourse of infidelity.
In 1776 appeared that great work which had for many years been his favourite
employment, and to the perfection of which he brought all the stores of his multifari-
ous studies, and the fruits of his retired meditations. This was his " Commentary on
the Psalms," in two volumes, quarto ; and when Mr. Prince the publisher, was
carrying the first set to the college, some person who met him asked what he had got
there. " It is," said the bookseller, "a new work of the President of Magdalen, whose
former productions have given him a name, but this will render his name immortal." Of
this Commentary it may be truly said, that it is equally adapted to edify the profound
scholar and the unlearned Christian ; that it throws light upon dark passages, and
clears up difficulties without the parade of criticism ; while in every elucidation, practi-
cal improvement is consulted, and the reader of every description is enabled to draw
spiritual instruction even from the dry subject of philological discussion.
This year Dr. Home was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University, in which
important station he continued till the close of 1780 ; and it may be truly said, that no
person ever held that office with greater dignity and popularity. On the death of David
Hume, his zealous admirer, Adam Smith, published an extravagant panegyric upon the
philosopher ; in which he was not contented with praising his friend for his meritorious
-qualities, as a moral character, and his splendid talents as a writer, but he coloured the
picture in such a manner as to give his hero every virtue that could adorn human na-
ture, and that obviously for the purpose of undervaluing the principles of revealed re-
ligion, and of depreciating the motives of its professors. As an antidote to this perni-
cious apology for the poison of infidelity, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford published " A
Letter to Dr. Smith, on the Life, Death, and Philosophy of his Friend, David Hume,
Esq. by one of the People called Christians." In this little piece, which happily blends
the closest reasoning with the keenest wit, the character of Hume is faithfully delin-
eated, and the malignant conduct of his panegyrist completely exposed. In 1779, Dr.
Home favoured the world with two volumes of admirable Sermons, in which line of
composition it may safely be affirmed that he has been equalled by few and excelled by
none ; for his style is remarkably vigorous, and yet so perfectly simple, that the plainest
understanding cannot avoid being immediately convinced by the arguments, and affected
by the exhortations.
On the advancement of Dr. Comwallis to the bishopric of Lichfield, in 1781, the
President of Magdalen was appointed to succeed him in the deanery of Canterbury,
from which period, till his elevation to a higher station in the church, he divided hia
.lime in a regular course between the duties of the College and the Cathedral, to the
8 MEMOIR OP BISHOP HORNE.
equal satisfaction of all who had the happiness of living under his government.
During his residence at Canterbury, he was ever ready to exert his services in the pul-
pit on public occasions. The opening of a new organ in the Cathedral, the institution
of Sunday Schools, the anniversary of the gentlemen educated in the King's School,
and the visitation of the Archbishop, afforded him opportunities of displaying in that city
witii what taste and feeling he could describe the power of music; with what zeal he
could plead for the indigent ; with what energy he could point out the means of ob-
taining true wisdom ; and with what strength he could " contend for the faith once
delivered unto the saints."
While on these occasions he gratified the public as a preacher, his talents were also
employed as a writer, in exposing the vain pretensions of " Science, falsely so called."
In 1784 appeared, but without his name, a small volume entitled, "Letters on Infi-
delit\ ;" in which the system of Hume is held up to just contempt, and the sophistry of
that sceptic laid open in all its native deformit3\ With the same anxious concern for
the cause of Christianity, our author next encountered the great champion of Socinian-
ism, in " A. letter to the Rev. Dr. Priestley, by an Undergraduate." For while, in the
judgment of the Dean, infidelity had a necessary tendency to destroy morality, by
depriving it of the only sanction that can give it force for the regulation of human ac-
tions, he also looked upon that which is called the Unitarian doctrine, especially as
taught in the modern schools, in the light of an auxiliary, or rather guide to that enemy
of God's image in the soul of man.
At length, though too late for the benefit of the church, the great merit of Dr.
Home was rewarded with the mitre, by his consecration to the bishopric of Norwich,
June 7th, 1790 ; the sermon on which occasion being preached by his old and constant
friend Dr. Berkley, Prebendary of Canterbury. Soon after this event, he resigned his
station in Magdalen College ; but, though he repaired to his episcopal palace, he found
it difficult to go up and down the steps, owing to his increasing infirmities, for the alle-
viation of which he was constrained to reside at Bath, where the use of the waters gave
him temporary relief At this time his eldest daughter was married to the reverend
Mr. Selby Hele, rector of Colesworth, in Bedfordshire, and chaplain to his Royal High-
ness the Prince of Wales. On this occasion, the Bishop wrote the following letter to
Dr. Berkley, which evinces the same fervent piety and innocent gaiety that distinguished
the accomplished writer throughout life.
Bath, May 21, 1791.
My Dear Fkirnd.
In negotiations of the matrimonial kind, multa cederunt inter, &c. and therefore I
think it better to say nothing of the matter till the newspapers tell it everybody at
once that the thing is done, and there's an end of it. I always desired my girls to-
secure three points in a husband — good temper, good sense, and good principles: if they
meet with a good person and a good fortune, they might be thrown in, and no harm.
For the present instance, as far as I can judge, we are well off throughout, and all
parties pleased, and so God bless them. To see a little of the world before they settle,
they are gone for three or four months upon the Continent ; as to cake, we must there-
fore wait, I belie\e, for a slice of right national, for they set ofT on the evening of the
wedding-day ; and the trusty Betty, on her return to Eltham, deposed she had seen
'em under sail for the coast of France. Best thanks to Mrs. Berkeley, for her very
kind letter, which has found its way hither. My wife is passing a few days at Olham,
after the hurry and heat of Sackviile street.
I bit ss God the waters and weather here cany me on charmingly. I write, you
see, nearly as well as ever I did ; and as to utterance, hope to be a match for Nor-
wich Cathedral by the end of July, when I am engaged there for the infirmary.
Once a year, by God's blessing, I propose to refresh nature at Bath, and keep things
going.
I hope, when we get rid of these cold winds, for such they are, notwithstanding the
Bun this day, Mr. Berkeley's gout will melt away like ice in the fair weather. The
doctors want me to have a fit ; but I wish to leave that matter to God's goodness. I
soothe my mind, atid settle my temper every night with a page or two of Boozy (i. e.
Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson,) and always meet with something to the purpose. My
sleep is sweet after it. God biess you all. So prayeth, my dear friend,
Your atFectionate friend and servant,
G. NORWICH.
This year the good prelate published the " Charge to the Clergy of his Diocess ;'*
which, on account of the declining state of his health, he had been prevented from de--
MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE. \}
livering personally, but which he now sent to them from the press, as he says in the
preliminary advertisement, " that so, whenever he should be called hence, he might
leave some testimony of his regard for them, and attention to their concerns." This
was the completion of all his public customs ; and the close was marked by the same
liveliness of sentiment, perspicuity of illustration, and zeal for evangelical truth,
which distinguished him in every stage of his ministry. In this farewell discourse, he
treats with a vigour of reasoning almost peculiar to himself, " the nature of God ; the
nature of man ; the saving principle of faith ; the importance and use of the church ;
the obedience due to civil government ; and the necessity of a pure life and holy con-
versation."
The complication of disorders with which this excellent man was afflicted, compelled
him to return to Bath ; but, on the road, he was attacked by a paralytic stroke, which,
though it did not weaken his mental powers, deprived him of articulate utterance ; and
it was but by slow degrees that he so far recovered his speech as to be understood by
his attendants. Not long before his departure " to that rest which remaiueth for the
people of God," he signified a strong wish to have the sacrament of the Lord's Supper
administered to him ; and when the solemn ordinance was over, he clasped his hands
with an emotion of rapturous devotion, and exclaimed, " Now am I blessed indeed !"
He languished on, from this time till January 17th, 1792, and then breathed his last,
without a groan. " Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that
man is peace."
The mortal remains of the bishop were interred in the family vault, belonging to his
father-in-law, Philip Burton, Esq. at Eltham, in Kent ; in the church-yard of which
parish is a monument, with the following inscription, a copy of which, with some slight
alteration, is also placed on a tablet to his memory, in the Cathedral of Norwich :
Here lie interred
The earthly Remains of
The right reverend GEORGE HORNE, D. D.
Many years president of Magdalen College, in Oxford,
Dean of Canterbury,
And late Bishop of Norwich.
In whose Character,
Depth of Learning, brightness of Imagination,
Sanctity of Manners, and sweetness of Temper,
Were united beyond the usual lot of Mortality.
With his discourses from the Pulpit, his hearers
Whether of the University, the City,
Or the Country Parish,
Were edified and delighted.
His Commentary on the Psalms will continue to be
A Companion to the Closet,
Till the Devotion of Earth shall end in the Hallelujahs
of Heaven.
Having patiently suffered under such infirmities
As seemed not due to his years.
His Soul took its flight from this Vale of Misery,
To the unspeakable loss of the Church of England,
And his surviving Friends and Admirers,
Jan. 17th, 1792, in the 62d Year of his Age.
The style of Bishop Home is nervous, and frequently epigrammatic, particularly on
subjects of a controversial nature, and where serious argument would have been thrown
away upon those who either wanted sense or honesty to feel its force, and to treat it
with reverence. But though this Christian advocate sometimes indulged in a sportive
humour, when he condescended to enter the list with writers whose talents he con-
ceived to be dangerously employed, he never disgraced his powers by acrimony, nor
weakened the effect of them by abuse. " Wit," said he, " if used at all, should be tem-
pered with good humour, so as not to exasperate the person who is the object of it ; and
then we are sure there is no mischief done. The disputant ought to be at once firm
and calm ; his head cool, and his heart warm."
The conduct of the bishop corresponded with the picture of his heart exhibited in his
literary productions. He was distinguished by the suavity of his manners, no less than
by the firmness of his faith and the ardour of his zeal. He was not only a " burning, but
a shining light," exhibiting in every relation the practical influence of those principles
which he thought it his duty to defend against all gainsayers.
He was a most agreeable as well as instructive companion ; and as he abounded in
anecdote, which he always introduced in season, his conversation never failed to attbrd
delightful entertainment to those who had a taste for moral and intellectual pleasure
That he might never forget the solemn obligations by which he had bound himself, it.
2
10 MEMOIR OF BISHOP HORNE.
was his prescribed custom to read over the service for the ordination of priests, on the
first day of every month, which practice being accompanied by devout meditation, was
well calculated to increase his humility, to strengthen his faith, and to animate his reso-
lution in the discharge of his duty.
Besides the publications which have been already noticed, he wrote the " Preface to
Dodd's Translation of Cailimachus ;" a Tract " On the Repeal of the Test Act ;" the
" Miscellany by Nathaniel Freebody," in the St. James's Chronicle for 1767 ; several
papers signed Z. in the 011a Podrida, published in 1787; some others printed by the
late Rev. William Jones, his Chaplain, in the " Scholar Armed," 2 vols. 8vo. ; and,
since his death, three volumes of his Sermons have been printed, together with his
*' Miscellaneous Works and Essays :" and " Considerations on the Life and Death of
Abel," &c.
PREFACE.
The Psalms are an epitome of the Bible, adapted to the purposes of de-
votion. They treat occasionally of the creation and formation of the
world ; the dispensations of Providence, and the economy of grace ; the
transactions of the patriarchs ; the exodus of the children of Israel ; their
journey through the wilderness, and settlement in Canaan ; their law,
priesthood, and ritual ; the exploits of their great men, wrought through
faith; their sins and captivities; their repentances and restorations; the
sufferings and victories of David ; the peaceful and happy reign of Solo-
mon ; the advent of Messiah, with its effects and consequences ; his in-
carnation, birth, life, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, kingdom,
and priesthood ; the effusion of the Spirit ; the conversion of the nations ;
the rejection of the Jews; the establishment, increase, and perpetuity of
the Christian church ; the end of the world ; the general judgment ; the
condemnation of the wicked, and the final triumph of the righteous with
their Lord and King. These are the subjects here presented to our medi-
tations. We are instructed how to conceive of them aright, and to ex-
press the different affections, which, when so conceived of, they must ex-
cite in our minds. They are, for this purpose, adorned with the figures,
and set off with all the graces of poetry ; and poetry itself is designed yet
farther to be recommended by the charms of music, thus consecrated to
the service of God ; that so delight may prepare the way for improvement,
and pleasure become the handmaid of wisdom, while every turbulent pas-
sion is calmed by sacred melody, and the evil spirit is still dispossessed by
the Harp of the Son of Jesse. This little volume, like the paradise of
Eden, affords us in perfection, though in miniature, everything that grow-
eth elsewhere, " every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for
food :" and above all, what was there lost, but is here restored, the tree
OF LIFE IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN. That which we read, as matter of
speculation, in the other Scriptures, is reduced to practice, when we recite
it in the Psalms ; in those, repentance and faith are described, but in these
they are acted ; by a perusal of the former, we learn how others served
God, but, by using the latter, we serve him ourselves. •" What is there
necessary for man to know," says the pious and judicious Hooker, " which
the Psalms are not able to teach? They are to beginners an easy and
familiar introduction, a mighty augmentation of all virtue and knowledge
in such as are entered before, a strong confirmation of the most perfect
among others. Heroical magnanimity, exquisite justice, grave moderation,
exact wisdom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience, the mysteries of
God, the sufferings of Christ, the terrors of wrath, the comforts of grace,
the works of Providence over this world, and the promised joys of that
12 PREFACE.
world which is to come, all good necessarily to be either known, or done,
or had, this one celestial fountain yieldeth. Let there be any grief or dis-
ease incident unto the soul of man, any wound or sickness named, for
which there is not, in this treasure-house, a present comfortable remedy at
all times ready to be found."* In the language of this divine book, there-
fore, the prayers and praises of the church have been offered up to the
throne of grace, from age to age. And it appears to have been the Man-
ual of the Son of God in the days of his flesh; who, at the conclusion of
his last supper, is generally supposed, and that upon good grounds, to have
sung a hymn taken from it ;t who pronounced on the cross the beginning
of iUe twenty second Psalm ; " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me ?" and expired with a part of the thirty-first Psalm in his mouth ; " Into
thy hands 1 commend my spirit." Thus He, who had not the spirit by mea-
sure, in whom were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
and who spake as never man spake, yet choose to conclude his life, to
solace himself in his greatest agony, and at last to breathe out his soul, in
the Psalmist's form of words, rather than his own. No tongue of man or
angel, as Dr. Hammond justly observes, can convey a higher idea of any
book, and of their felicity who use it aright.
Proportionable to the excellency of the Psalms, hath been the number
of their expositors. The ancients were chiefly taken up in making spiri-
tual or evangelical applications of them ; in adapting their discourses on
them to the general exigencies of the Christian church, or to the particular
necessities of the age in which they wrote. The moderns have set them-
selves to investigate with diligence, and to ascertain with accuracy, their
literal scope and meaning. Piety and devotion characterize the writings
of the ancients ; the commentaries of the moderns display more learning
and judgment. The ancients have taught us how to rear a goodly super-
structure ; but the moderns have laid the surest foundation. To bring
them in some measure together, is the design of the following work ; in
which the author has not laboured to point out what seemed wrong in
either, but to extract what he judged to be right from both ; to make the
annotations of the latter a ground-work for improvements, like those of the
former ; and thus to construct an edifice, solid, as well as spacious. Ma-
terials, and good ones, he cannot be said to have wanted ; so that if the
building should give way, the cement must have been faulty, or the work-
man unskilful.
The right of the Psalter to a place in the sacred canon hath never been
disputed ; and it is often cited by our Lord and- his apostles in the New
Testament, as the work of the Holy Spirit. Whether David, therefore,
or any other prophet, was employed as the instrument of communicating
to the' church such or such a particular Psalm, is a question, which, if it
cannot always be satisfactorily answered, needs not disquiet our minds.
When we discern, in an epistle, the well-known hand of a friend, we are
not solicitous about the pen with which it was written.
The number of Psalms is the same in the original, and in the version
of the LXX ; only these last have, by some mistake, thrown the ninth and
tenth into one, as also the hundred and fourteenth and the hundred and
» Hooker's Ecclesiast. Pol. B. v. Sect. 37.
t St. Matthew informs us, chap. xxvi. 30, that he and his apostles " sung an hymn ;*
and the hymn u.sually sung by the Jews, upon that occasion, was what they call the
•* great Hallel," consisting of the Psalms from the hundred and thirteenth to the hun-
dred and eighteenth, inclusive.
PREFACE. ' 13
fifteenth, and have divided the hundred and sixteenth into two, as also the
hundred and forty-seventh. The Hebrews have distributed them into five
books ; but for what reason, or upon what authority, we know not. This
is certain, that the apostles quote from "the book of Psalms,"* and that
they quote the "second" Psalm of that book, in the order in which it now
stands.! That division, which our own church hath made of them, into
thirty portions, assigning- one to each day of the month, it hath been
thought expedient to set down in the margin ; as persons may often choose
to turn to the commentary on those Psalms, which occur in their daily
course of reading.
In the titles, prefixed to some of the Psalms, there is so much obscurity,
and in the conjectures which have been made concerning them, both in a
literal and spiritual way, so great a variety and uncertainty, that the
author, finding himself, after all his searches, unable to offer anything
which he thought could content the learned, or edify the unlearned, at
length determined to omit them ; as the sight of them, unexplained, only
distracts the eye and attention of the reader. The omission of the word
SELAH must be apologized for in the same manner. The information
obtained from the historical titles will be found in the argument placed at
the head of each Psalm ; though even that is not always to be relied on.
Where this information failed, the occasion and drift of the Psalm were
to be collected from the internal evidence contained in itself, by a diligent
perusal of it, with a view to the sacred history ; the light of which, when
held to the Psalms, often dissipates the darkness that must otherwise for
ever envelope allusions to particular events and circumstances : some-
times, indeed, the descriptions are couched in terms more general ; and
then, the want of such information is less perceived. If it appear, for in-
stance, that David at the time of composing any Psalm, was under perse-
cution, or had been lately delivered from it, it may not be of any great
consequence, if we cannot determine with precision, whether his persecu-
tion by Saul and Doeg, or that by Absalom and Ahitophel, be intended
and referred to. The expressions either of his sorrow or his joy, his
strains, whether plaintive or jubilant, may be nearly the same, in both
cases respectively. This observation may be extended to many other in-
stances of calamities bewailed, or deliverances celebrated in the Psalms,
sometimes by the prince, sometimes by the community, and frequently by
both together. Upon the whole, it is hoped, that the design of each Psalm
hath been sufficiently discovered, to explain and apply it for the instruc-
tion and comfort of believers.
The result of such critical inquiries as were found necessary to be
made, is given in as few words as possible ; often only by inserting into
a verse, or subjoining to it, that sense of a word, or phrase, which seemed
upon mature deliberation, to be the best ; as it was deemed improper to
clog, with prolix disquisitions of this kind, a work intended for general
use. The reader will, however, reap the benefit of many such, which
have been carefully consulted for him. And he will not, it is presumed,
have reason to complain, that any verse is passed over, without a tolerably
consistent interpretation, and some useful improvement. Where the lit-
eral sense was plain, it is noticed only so far as was necessary to make an
application, or form a reflection. Where there appeared any obscurity,
or difficulty, recourse was had to the best critics, and that solution which
seemed the most satisfactory, given in the concisest manner. Much la-
* Acts i. 20. t Acts xui. 33.
14 PREFACE.
"hour hath here been bestowed, where little appears. The plan of every
Psalm hath been attentively studied, with the connexion and dependence
of its parts, which it is the design of the Argument to exhibit at one view,
and of the Commentary to pursue and explain, from beginning to end.*
No person is more thoroughly sensible, than the author is, of the respect
and gratitude due from all lovers of the sacred writings, to those who
have laboured in the field of literal criticism. Great and illustrious cha-
racters, whose names will be had by the church in everlasting remem-
brance ! All who desire to understand the Scriptures, must enter inta
their labours, and make the proper advantage of them, as he himself hath
endeavoured to do. But let us also bear in mind, that all is not done
when this is done. A work of the utmost importance still remains, which
it is the business of Theologyf to undertake and execute ; since, with re-
spect to the Old Testament, and the Psalter more especially, a person may
attain a critical and grammatical knowledge of them, and yet continue a
Jew, with a veil upon his heart ; an utter stranger to that sense of the
holy books, evidently intended, in such a variety of instances, to bear tes-
timony to the Saviour of the world ; that sense, which is styled, by the
divines, the prophetical, evangelical, mystical, or spiritual sense. As
it is one great design of the following work to investigate that sense in:
many of the Psalms, this is the proper place to lay before the reader those
grounds and reasons upon which such investigation has been made.
That the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture, like all other good
things, is liable to abuse, and that it hath been actually abused, both in
ancient and modern days, cannot be denied. He vi^ho shall go about to
apply, in this way, any passage, before he hath attained its literal mean-
ing, may say what in itself is pious and true, but foreign to the text from
which he endeavoureth to deduce it. St. Jerome, it is well known, when
grown older and wiser, lamented that, in the fervours of a youthful fancy,
he had spiritualized the prophecy of Obadiah, before he understood it.
And it must be allowed, that a due attention to the occasion and scope of
the Psalms would have pared off many unseemly excrescences, which
now deform the commentaries of St. Augustine, and other Fathers, upon
them. But these and other concessions of the same kind being made,
as they are made very freely, " men of sense will consider, that a princi-
ple is not therefore to be rejected, because it has been abused ;"J since
human errors can never invalidate the truths of God.
It may not be amiss, therefore, to run through the Psalter, and point
out some of the more remarkable passages, which are cited from thence
by our Lord and his apostles, and applied to matters evangelical.
No sooner have we opened the book, but the second Psalm presenteth
itself, to all appearance, as an inauguration hymn, composed by David,
the anointed of Jehovah, when by him crowned with victory, and placed
triumphant on the sacred hill of Sion. But let us turn to Acts iv. 25, and
there we find the apostles, with one voice, declaring the Psalm to be de-
scriptive of the exaltation of Jesus Christ, and of the opposition raised
against his Gospel, both by Jew and Gentile.
* Nos Lectoris piiim hunc laborem adjuvandum suscepimus ; dum constitutis arga-
mentis scopum attentioni figimus : dum scrutamur literam, et ex sacrft, historiS, quantum,
possumus, omnia repetimus : dum annotamus quae pietatem inflamment : alio eo ex-
emplo quaerenda indicamus. Bossuet Dissertat. in Psal. Cap. vii.
t TheologisB insignia hie usus est, ut, verborum sensu exposito, rem intelligas. EUner,
Prtefat. ad Observat. Sacr.
t Bishop Kurd's Introduction to the study of the Prophecies, p. 64.
PREFACE. 15
In the eighth Psalm we imagine the writer to be setting forth the pre-
eminence of man in general, above the rest of the creation ; but by Heb.
ii. 6, we are informed, that the supremacy conferred on the second Adam,
the man Christ Jesus, over all things in heaven and earth, is the subject
there treated of
St. Peter stands up. Acts ii. 25, and preaches the resurrection of Jesus
from the latter part of the sixteenth Psalm ; and, lo, three thousand souls
are converted by the sermon.
Of the eighteenth Psalm we are told, in the course of the sacred his-
tory, 2 Sam. xxii. that " David spake before the Lord the words of that
song, in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his
enemies, and out of the hand of Saul." Yet in Rom. xv. 9, the 50th
verse of that Psalm is adduced as a proof, that " the Gentiles should glo-
rify God for his mercy in Jesus Christ, as it is written. For this cause
will I confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."
In the nineteenth Psalm, David seems to be speaking of the material
heavens and their operations only, when he says, " Their sound is gone
out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." But
St. Paul, Rom. x. 18, quotes the passage to show, that the Gospel has been
universally published by the apostles.
The twenty-second Psalm Christ appropriated to himself, by beginning
it in the midst of his sufferings on the cross ; " My God, my God," &c.
Three other verses of it are in the New Testament applied to him ; and
the words of the 8th verse were actually used by the chief priests, when
they reviled him ; " He trusted in God," &c. Matt, xxvii. 43.
When David saith, in the fortieth Psalm, " Sacrifice and offering thou
didst not desire — Lo I come to do thy will :" we might suppose him only
to declare, in his own person, that obedience is better than sacrifice. But
from Heb. x. 5, we learn, that Messiah, in that place, speaketh of his ad-
vent in the flesh, to abolish the legal sacrifices, and to do away sin, by the
oblation of himself once for all.
That tender and pathetic complaint, in the forty-first Psalm, " Mine own
familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted
up his heel against me," undoubtedly might be, and probably was, origi-
nally uttered by David, upon the revolt of his old friend and counsellor,
Ahitophel, to the party of his rebellious son, Absalom. But we are cer-
tain, from John xiii. 18, that this scripture was fulfilled, when Christ was
tetrayed by his apostate disciple — " I speak not of you all ; I know vi'hom
I have chosen ; but that the scriptures may be fulfilled. He that eateth
"bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me."
The forty-fourth Psalm we must suppose to have been written on occa-
sion of a persecution, under which the church at that time laboured ; but
a verse of it is cited, Rom. viii. 36, as expressive of what Christians were
to suffer on their blessed Master's account ; "as it is written. For thy sake
are we killed all the day long ; we are counted as sheep appointed to be
slain."
A quotation from the forty-fifth Psalm, in Heb. i. 8, certifies us, that the
whole is addressed to the Son of God, and therefore celebrates his spiritual
union with the church, and the happy fruits of it.
The sixty-eighth Psalm, though apparently conversant about Israelitish
victories, the translation of the ark to Sion, and the services of the taber-
nacle, yet does, under those figures, treat of Christ's resurrection, his go-
ing up on high, leading captivity captive, pouring out the gifts of his
16 PREFACE.
Spirit, erecting his church in the world, and enlarging it by the accession
of the nations to the faith ; as will be evident to any one who considers
the force and consequence of the apostle's citation from it, Eph. iv. 7, 8,
" Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the
gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."
The sixty-ninth Psalm is five times referred to in the gospels, as being
uttered by the prophet, in the person of Messiah. The imprecations, or
rather predictions, at the latter end of it, are applied, Rom. xi. 9, 10, to
the Jews ; and to Judas, Acts, i. 20, where the hundred and ninth Psalm
is also cited, as prophetical of the sore judgments which should befall that
arch-traitor, and the wretched nation of which he was an epitome.
St. Matthew, informing us, chap. xiii. 34, that Jesus spake to the multi-
tudes in parables, gives it as one reason why he did so, "-that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet; Psalm Ixxviii. 2. I will open
my mouth in a parable ; I will utter things which have been kept secret
from the foundation of the world."
The ninety-fiist Psalm was applied by the tempter to Messiah : nor did
our Lord object to the application, but only to the false inference which
his adversary suggested from it. Matt. iv. 6, 7.
The ninety-fifth Psalm is explained at large in Heb. iii. and iv. as rela-
tive to the state and trial of Christians in the world, and to their attain-
ment of the heavenly rest.
The hundred and tenth Psalm is cited by Christ himself. Mat. xxii. 44,
as treating of his exaltation, kingdom, and priesthood.
The hundred and seventeenth Psalm, consisting only of two verses, is
employed, Rom. xv. 11, to prove, that the Gentiles were one day to praise
God for the mercies of redemption.
The 22d verse of the hundred and eighteenth Psalm, " The stone which
the builders refused," &,c. is quoted six different times as spoken of our
Saviour.
And, lastly, "the fruit of David's body," which God is said in the hun-
dred and thirty-second Psalm to have promised that he would "place upon
his throne," is asserted, Acts ii. 30, to be Jesus Christ.
These citations, lying dispersed through the Scriptures of the New Tes-
tament, are often suflfered by common readers to pass unnoticed. And
many others content themselves with saying, that they are made in a sense
of accommodation, as passages may be quoted from poems or histories
merely human, for the illustration of truths, of which their authors never
thought. " And this (as a learned critic observes) is no fault, but rather
a beauty in writing. A passage applied justly, and in a new sense, is
ever pleasing to an ingenious reader, who loves to be agreeably sur-
prised, and to see a likeness and pertinency where he expected none.
He has that surprise which the Latin poet sq poetically gives to the tree ;
' Miraturque novas frondes, et non sua poma.' "
The readers, who have been accustomed to consider the New Testa-
ment citations in this view of accommodation only, must perceive the
necessity of such accommodation, at least, to adapt the use of Psalms, as a
part of divine service, to the times and circumstances of the gospel ; and
cannot therefore reasonably object, upon their own principles, to the appli-
cations made in the following sheets for that purpose. But not to inquire,
at present, whether passages are not sometimes cited in this manner, surely
PREFACE. 17
no one can attentively review the above made collection of New Tes-
tament citations from the book of Psalms, as they have been placed to-
gether before him, without perceiving that the Psalms are written upon a
divine, preconcerted, prophetical plan, and contain much more than, at
first sight, they appear to do. They are beautiful without, but all-glorious
within, like " apples of gold in pictures, or net-work cases, of silver."
Prov. XXV. 11. The brightness of the casket attracts our attention, till,
through it, upon a nearer approach, we discover its contents. And then
indeed, it may be said to have " no glory, by reason of the glory that so
far excelleth."* Very delightful and profitable they are, in their literal
and historical sense, which well repayeth all the pains taken to come at it.
But that once obtained, a farther scene begins to open upon us, and all
the blessings of the gospel present themselves to the eye of faith. So that
the expositor is as a traveller ascending an eminence neither unfruitful
nor unpleasant ; at the top of which when he is arrived, he beholds, like
Moses from the summit of mount Nebo, a more lovely and extensive pros-
pect lying beyond it, and stretching away to the utmost bounds of the
everlasting hills. He sees valleys covered over with corn, blooming gar-
dens, and verdant meadows, with flocks and herds feeding by rivers of
water ; till ravished with the sight, he cries out as St. Peter did, at the
view of his Master's glory, " It is good to be here !"
It would be unreasonable to suppose, that no parts of the Psalms may
by us be spiritually applied, but such as are already expressly applied for
us by the inspired writers. Let any man consider attentively a New Tes-
tament citation ; then let him as carefully read over, with a view to it, the
Psalm from which it is taken, and see if it will not serve him as a key,
wherewith to unlock the treasures of eternal wisdom ; if it will not "open
his eyes," and show him " wonderful things" in God's law. When we
are taught to consider one verse of a Psalm as spoken by Messiah, and
there is no change of person, what can we conclude, but that he is speaker
through the whole? In that case, the Psalm becomes at once as much
transfigured, as the blessed person, supposed to be the subject of it, was on
mount Tabor And if Messiah be tha speaker of one Psalm, what should
hinder, but that another Psalm, where the same kind of scene is evidently
described, and the same expressions are used, may be expounded in the
^same manner.
It is very justly observed by Dr. Allix, that "although the sense of
near fifty Psalms be fixed and settled by divine authors, yet Christ and
his apostles did not undertake to quote all the Psalms they could quote,
but only to give a key to their hearers, by which they might apply to the
usame subjects the Psalms of the same composure and expression. "f The
^citations in the New Testament were made incidentally, and as occasion
was given. But can we imagine, that the church was not farther in-
^structed in the manner of applying the Psalms to her Redeemer, and to
herself? Did she stop at the applications thus incidentally and occasion-
ally made by the inspired writers ? Did she stop, because they had di-
rected her how to proceed ? We know she did not. The primitive
Fathers, it is true, for want of critical learning, and particularly a compe-
tent knowledge of the original Hebrew, often wandered in their expositions ;
but they are unexceptionable witnesses to us of this matter of fact, that
«uch a method of expounding the Psalms, built upon the practice of the
apostles in their writings and preachings, did universally prevail in the
• S Cor. iii. 10. t Preface to his Book of Pealms, p. 9.
3
18 PREFACE.
church from the beginning. They, who have ever looked into St. Augus-
tine, know, that he pursues this plan invariably, treating of the Psalms, as
proceeding from the mouth of Christ, or of the church, or of both con-
sidered as one mystical person. The same is true of Jerome, Ambrose,,
Arnobius, Cassidore, Hilary, and Prosper. Chrysostom studies to make
the Psalter useful to believers under the gospel. Theodore attends both
to the literal and prophetic sense. But what is very observable, Tertul-
lian, who flourished at the beginning of the third century, mentions it, as
if it were then an allowed point in the church, that "almost all the Psalms
are spoken in the person of Christ, being addressed by the Son to the
Father, that is, by Christ to God."* In this channel flows the stream of
the earliest Christian expositors. Nor did they depart in this point from
the doctrine held in the church of the ancient Jews, who were always
taught to regard Messiah as the capital object of the Psalter. And though,
when the time came, that people would not receive Jesus of Nazareth as
their Messiah, it does not appear that they ever objected to the propriety
of the citations made by our Lord and his apostles, or thought such pas-
sages applicable to David only, and his concerns. Nay, the most learned
of their Rabbles, who have written since the commencement of the Chris-
tian era, still agree with us in referring many of the Psalms to Messiah
and his kingdom ; difl!ering only about the person of the one, and the na-
ture of the other.
When learning arose, as it were, from the dead, in the sixteenth century ^-
and the study of primitive theology by that means revived, the spiritual'
interpretation of the Scriptures revived with it. It was adopted, at that
time, by one admirably qualified to do it justice, and to recommend it again
to the world by every charm of genius, and every ornament of language."
I mean the accomplished Erasmus, who omitteth no opportunity of insist-
ing on the usefulness, and even the necessity of it, for'the right understand-
ing of the scriptures ; for the attainment of that wisdom which they teachy,
and that holiness which they prescribe ; seeming to think himself never
better employed, than when he is removing the earth and rubbish with
■which those Philistines, the monks, had stopped up the wells of salvation,
opened by the apostles, and first fathers of the church, for the benefit of
mankind.! This great man was much importuned by his learned friends,
as he informeth us in an epistle to Cardinal Sadolet, to write a commen-
tary on the Psalms.J Such a work, executed by him, had been one of
the richest gifts that were ever cast into the Christian treasury : as we
may judge from the specimen which he hath left us, in his discourses on.
eleven of them. Some of these were drawn up with a view to enlarge up-
on the transactions of the times ; and in all of them he is more diffuse and
luxuriant, than, it is to be presumed, he would have been in a general ex-
position. But they abound with a rich variety of sacred learning, com-
municated in a manner ever pleasing, and ever instructive. If at any
time he tak'es us out of the road, it is to show us a fine country, and we
* Omnes pend Psalmi Christi personam sustinent, — Filium ad Patrem, id est Chris-
tum ad Deum verba facieiitem reproBsentant.
t Enchirid. Mil. Christ, in Prsefat. Canon. 5. et passim.
t Lib. XXV. Epist. 11. Edit. Froben. 1085. Edit. Cler, Non semel rogatus sum qnum
ab aliis, tum ab Anglorum Rege, ut in omnes Psalmos ederem Commentarios ; scd de-
terrebant me quum alia multa, tum ilia duo potissimnm, quodviderum hoc argumentem
vix posse pro dignitate tractari, nisi quis calleat Hebraeorum literas, atque etiam anti-
quitates ; partim quod verebar ne turb& Commentariorum obscuraretur Sermo Prophe-
ticus, citius quam iliustraretur.
PREFACE. 19
are still in company with Erasmus. He considers a Psalm, as it may re-
late to Christ, either suffering, or triumphant ; as it may concern the
church, whether consisting of Jews or Gentiles, whether in adversity or
prosperity, through the several stages and periods of its existence ; and as
it may be applicable to the different states and circumstances of individuals,
during the trials and temptations which they meet with, in the course of
their Christian pilgrimage and warfare here below, till having overcome
their last enemy, they shah sit down with the Lord in his kingdom ; when
the scheme of prophecy shall receive its final accomplishment, and " the
MYSTERY of God be FINISHED."*
It is obvious, that every part of the Psalter, when explicated according
to this scriptural and primitive method, is rendered universally " profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ;"
and the propriety immediately appears of its having always been used in
the devotional way, both by the Jewish and the Christian church. With
regard to the Jews, Bishop Chandler very pertinently remarks, that "they
must have understood David their prince to have been a figure of Messiah.
They would not ot-herwise have made his Psalms part of their daily wor-
ship, nor would David have delivered them to the church, to be so em-
ployed, were it not to instruct and support them in the knowledge and be-
lief of this fundamental article. Was the Messias not concerned in the
Psalms, it were absurd to celebrate, twice a day, in their public devotions,
the events of one man's life, who was deceased so long ago as to have no
relation now to the Jews, and the circumstances of their affairs ; or to
transcribe whole passages from them into their prayers for the coming of
the Messiah." t Upon the same principle, it is easily seen, that the objec-
tions, which may seem to lie against the use of Jewish services in Chris-
tian congregations, cease at once. Thus, it may be said, Are we con-
cerned with the affairs of David and of Israel 1 Have we anything to do
with the ark and the temple ? They are no more. Are we to go up to
Jerusalem, and to worship on Sion 1 They are desolated, and trodden
under foot by the Turks. Are we to sacrifice young bullocks, according
to the law ? The law is abolished, n^ver to be observed again. Do we
pray for victory over Moab, Edom, and Philistia ; or for deliverance from
Babylon ? There are no such nations, no such places in the world.
What then do we mean, when, taking such expressions into our mouths,
we utter them in our own persons, as parts of our devotions, before God ?
Assuredly we must mean a spiritual Jerusalem and Sion ; a spiritual ark
and temple ; a spiritual law ; spiritual sacrifices ; and spiritual victories ;
spiritual enemies ; all described under the old names, which are still re-
tained, though " old things are passed away, and all things are to become
new." I By substituting Messiah for David, the gospel for the law, the
church Christian for ihat of Israel, and the enemies of the one for those of
the other, the Psalms are made our own. Nay, they are with more fulness
and propriety applied now to the substance, than they were of old to the
"shadow of good things then to come."^ And therefore, ever since the
» Rev. X. 7. t Defence of Christianity, First Part, p. 241.
t 2 Cor. V. 17. Ergo arrige aures, Christiane Lector, et ubi talia in Davide legeris,
tu mihi fac cogitas, non Arcam, fragile lignum, aut Tabernaculum contectum pellibus,
non urbem lapidibus compositam : non Templum divinae Majestati augusturn ; sed
Christi et ecclesiae Sacramenta, sed vivos lapides, Christo angulari lapidi coaptatos ; sed
ipsam Eucharistiam praesentis Dei testem ; denique caeleste regnum et eeternam felici-
tatem. Bosmet Dissertat. de Psal. Cap. i. ad fin
§ Heb. X. 1.
20 PREFACE.
commencement of the Christian era, the church hath chosen to celebrate
the gospel mysteries in the words of these ancient hymns, rather than to
compose for that purpose new ones of her own. For let it not pass unob-
served, that when, upon the first publication of the Gospel, the apostles
had occasion to utter their transports of joy, on their being- counted worthy
to suffer for the name of their dear Lord and Master, which was then op-
posed by Jew and Gentile, they broke forth into an application of the second
Psalm to the transactions then before their eyes. See Acts iv. 25. The
primitive Christians constantly followed this method in their devotions ;
and, particularly, when, delivered out of the hands of persecuting tyrants
by the victories of Constantine, they praised God for his goodness, and the
glorious success and establishment of Christ's religion, no words were
found so exquisitely adapted to the purpose, as those of David, in the ninety-
sixth, ninety-eighth, and other Psalms — "Sing unto the Lord a new song:
sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, and praise his
name; be telling of his salvation from day to day. Declare his honour
unto the heathens, his worship unto all people," — &c. &c. 6lc. In these,
and the like Psalms, we continue to praise God, for all his spiritual
mercies in Christ, to this day.
The Psalms, thus applied, have advantages, which no fresh composi-
tions, however finely executed, can possibly have ; since, besides their in-
comparable fitness to express our sentiments, they are, at the same time,
memorials of, and appeals to, former mercies and deliverances ; they are
acknowledgments of prophecies accomplished ; they point out the connex-
ion between the old and new dispensations, thereby teaching us to admire
and adore the wisdom of God displayed in both, and furnishing, while vi^e
read or sing them, an inexhaustible variety of the noblest matter that can
engage the contemplations of man.
Why is the mind more than ordinarily affected, and either melted into
sorrow, or transported with joy, when on the days set apart for the com-
memoration of our Saviour's birth, passion, resurrection, &c. the proper
Psalms are read, which the church hath appointed, following herein the
directions of the evangelists and apostles, and the usage of the early ages?
Why, but because, by such appointment, we are necessarily put upon
transferring our ideas from the complaints or exultations of David and Is-
rael, to those of a suffering or glorified Messiah, of whose sufferings or
glories we participate, as members of his mystical body? And how much
more intense would be the effect, if, in the sermons preached on such oc-
casions, such proper Psalms were expounded to the people, and their pro-
priety evinced, as it might easily be ? Discourses of this kind would
make the hearts of the auditors to "burn within them," and men would
cease to wonder, that three thousand Jews were converted to the faith, by
St. Peter's animated discourse on part of the sixteenth Psalm. Were be-
lievers once brought well acquainted with these proper Psalms, they would
be better enabled to study and apply the rest, which might likewise be ex-
plained to them at different times, and certainly afford the finest subjects
on which a Christian orator can employ his eloquence. That this was
done in the primitive church, we learn from the exposition of the Psalms
left us by St. Chrysostom in the east, and St. Augustine in the west, those
expositions still subsisting in the form of homilies, as delivered to their
respective congregations. Is it not to be feared, that, for want of such in-
structions, the repetition of the Psalms, as performed by multitudes, is but
one degree above mechanism ? And is it not a melancholy reflection, to
PREFACE. 21
"be made at the close of a long- life, that, after reciting them at proper sea-
sons, through the greatest part of it, no more should be known of their
true meaning and application, than when the Psalter was first taken in
hand at school !
Many sensible and well-disposed persons, therefore, who, when they
read or sing the Psalms, desire to read and to sing " with the spirit and
the understanding," have long called for a commentary which might ena-
ble them to do so ; which might not only explain the literal sense of these
divine compositions, and show how they may be accommodated to our
temporal affairs, as members of civil society ;* but might also unfold the
mysteries of the kingdom of God, which are involved in them, and teach
their application to us, as members of that spiritual and heavenly society,
of which Christ Jesus is the head, and for whose use, in every age, they
were intended by their omniscient Author. A work of this kind, though
often desired, has never yet been executed, upon any regular and consist-
ent plan. The survey of a province in theology, hitherto almost unoc-
cupied among the moderns, which promised a great deal of pleasing as
well as profitable employment, gave birth to the attempt which hath been
made to cultivate it, in the ensuing commentary ; in which the author has
only endeavoured to evince, by an induction of particulars, the truth of
what so many learned and good men have asserted in general, concerning
the prophetical, or evangelical import of the Psalter. Dr. Flammond, in
the preface of his Annotations, tells us, he chose to leave every man to
make applications of this kind for himself, finding he had work enough
upon his hands in the literal way. But so much having been done by
him, and other able critics in that way, it seems to be now time that some-
thing should be done in the other, and some directions given, in a case
where directions cannot but be greatly wanted.
Very few of the Psalms, comparatively, appear to be simply propheti-
cal, and to belong only to Messiah, without the intervention of any other
person. Most of them, it is apprehended, have a double sense, which
stands upon this ground and foundation, that the ancient patriarchs, pro-
phets, priests, and kings, were typical characters, in their several offices,
and in the more remarkable passages of their lives, their extraordinary
depressions, and miraculous exaltations, foreshowing Him who was to
arise, as the Head of the holy family, the great Prophet, the true Priest,
the everlasting King. The Israelitish polity, and the law of Moses, w^ere
purposely framed after the example and shadow of things spiritual and
heavenly : and the events which happened to the ancient people of God,
were designed to shadow out parallel occurrences, which should after-
wards take place in the accomplishment of man's redemption, and the
rise and progress of the Christian church. For this reason, the Psalms
composed for the use of Israel, and Israel's monarch, and by them ac-
cordingly used at the time, do admit of an application to us, who are now
" the Israel of God," t and to our Redeemer, who is the King of this Israel. J
* A concern for the present peace and prosperity of the world, and of that kingdom
to which we belong, ought ever to be entertained and cherished by the most exalted
Christian. And if this part of the subject should at any time, in the following work,
appear to be but slightly touched upon, the reason is, because it lies obvious upon the
surface, and has been so frequently inculcated by other expositors. Nor are mankind
indeed so liable to forget the relation they bear to the world, as they are to overlook that
which subsists between them and their Creator and Redeemer.
t Gal. vi. 16.
I That expressions and descriptions in human writings are often so framed as to ad-
22 PREFACE.
JNor will this seem strange to us, if we reflect, that the same divine per-
son, who inspired the Psalms, did also foreknow and predispose all events,
of which he intended them to treat. And hence it is evident, that the spi-
ritual sense is, and must be peculiar to the Scriptures ; because, of those
persons and transactions only, which are there mentioned and recorded,
can it be affirmed for certain that they were designed to be figurative.
And should any one attempt to apply the narrative of Alexander's expe-
dition by Gluintus Curtius, or the Commentaries of Ctesar, as the New
Testament writers have done, and taught us to do the histories of the Old,
he would find himself unable to proceed three steps with consistency and
propriety. The argument therefore, which would infer the absurdity of
supposing the Scriptures to have a spiritual sense, from the acknowledged
absurdity of supposing histories or poems merely human to have it, is in-
conclusive ; the sacred writings differing in this respect, from all other
writings in the world, as much as the nature of the transactions which
they relate differs from that of all other transactions, and the author who
relates them differs from all other authors.
" This double, or secondary sense of prophecy, was so far from giving
offence to Lord Bacon, that he speaks of it with admiration, as one striking
argument of its divinity. In sorting the prophecies of Scripture with their
events^ we must allow^ says he, for that latitude^ which is agreeable and
familiar unto divine prophecies^ being of his nature^ with whom a thousand
years are but as one day ; and therefore they are not fulfilled punctually at
once, hut have springing and germinant accomplishment through many ages^
though the height, or fulness of them, may refer to some one age.
" But, that we may not mistake or pervert this fine observation of our
great philosopher, it may be proper to take notice, that the reason of it
holds in such prophecies only as respect the several successive parts of one
system : which bemg intimately connected together, may be supposed to
come within the view and contemplation of the same prophecy ; whereas
it would be endless, and one sees not on what grounds of reason we are
authorized to look out for the accomplishment of prophecy, in any casual
unrelated events of general history. The Scripture speaks of prophecy,
as respecting Jesus, that is, as being one connected scheme of providence,
of which the Jewish dispensation makes a part ; so that here we are led
to expect that syringing and germanent accomplishment Which is men-
tioned. But, had the Jewish law been complete in itself, and totally un-
related to the Christian, the general principle — that a thousand years are
with God but as one day — would no more justify us in extending a Jew-
ish prophecy to Christian events, because perhaps it was eminently ful-
filled in them, than it would justify us in extending it to any other sig-
nally corresponding events whatsoever. It is only when the prophet
hath one uniform connected design before him that we are authorized to
use this latitude of interpretation. For then the prophetic Spirit naturally
runs along the several parts of such design, and unites the remotest events
with the nearest : the style of the prophet, in the mean time, so adapting
itself to this double prospect, as to paint the near and subordinate event in
terms that emphatically represent the distant and more considerable. So
that with this explanation, nothing can be more just or philosophical,
than the idea which Lord Bacon suggests, of divine prophecy.
mit of a double sense, without any impropriety or confusion, is shown by the very
learned Mr. Merrick, in his excellent Observations on Dr. Benson's Essay concerning
the lenity of Sense, &c. subjoined to his Annotations on the Psalms.
PREFACE. 23
" The great scheme of redemption, we are now considering, being the
only scheme in the plan of providence, which, as far as we know, hath
been prepared and dignified by a continued system of prophecy, at least
this being the only scheme to which we have seen a prophetic system ap-
plied, men do not so readily apprehend the doctrine oi double sense in pro-
phecy, as the}^ would do, if they saw it exemplified in other cases. But
what the history of mankind does not supply we may represent to our-
selves by many obvious suppositions ; which cannot justify, indeed, such
a scheme of things, but may facilitate the conception of it."*
In allegories framed by man, the ground-work is generally fiction,! he-
cause of the difficulty of finding one true series of facts, which shall
exactly represent another. But the great disposer of events, " known
unto whom are all his works," from the beginning to the end of time,
was able to effect this ; and the scripture allegories are therefore equally
true, in the letter and in the spirit of them. The events signifying, no
less than those signified, really happened, as they are said to have done.:{:
Why the allegories of the most perfect form, with which the book of
God abounds, and which are all pregnant with truths of the highest im-
port, should be treated with neglect and contempt, while the imperfect al-
legories of man's devising are universally sought after and admired, as
the most pleasing and most efficacious method of conveying instruction, it
is not easy to say. Why should it not aflford a believer as much delight,
to contemplate the lineaments of his Saviour portrayed in one of the patri-
archs, as to be informed, that the character of lapis was designed by Vir-
gil to adumbrate that of Antonius Musa, physician to Augustus ? Or why
should not a discourse upon the redemption of the church, as foreshadowed
by the exodus of Israel, have as many admirers among Christians as a
dissertation, however ingeniously composed, on the descent of ^^neas to
the infernal regions, considered as typical of an initiation into the Eleu-
sinian mysteries?
A learned, judicious, and most elegant writer of the present age hath
stated and illustrated the subject we are now upon, with a felicity of thought
and expression peculiar to himself I shall endeavour to gratify the En-
glish reader with a view of his sentiments. The beauties of his language
are not to be translated.
" It would be an arduous and adventurous undertaking to attempt to lay
down the rules observed in the conduct of the Mystic Allegory; so diverse
are the modes in which the Holy Spirit has thought proper to communicate
his counsels to different persons upon different occasions, inspiring and
directing the minds of the prophets according to his good pleasure ; at
one time vouchsafing more full and free discoveries of future events:
while, at another, he is more obscure and sparing in his intimations. From
hence, of course, ariseth a great variety in the scripture usage of this kind
* Bishops Kurd's excellent Introduction lo the Study of the Prophecies, Serm. iii.
t I say " generally," since, as the above cited Mr. Merrick justly observes, " It is
possible (for example) in a complimental address to a modern statesman, or general, lo
relate the actions of some ancient patriot of the same character, in such a manner, that
the parallel intended to be drawn between them, shall be readily known, and the praises
expressly bestowed on the one, be transferred, by the reader's own application to the
other."
\ Neque propterea ab historico, sive literali atque immediatio, ut aiunt, sensu aber-
rare nos oportet ; quin e6 erit clarior et fundatior secretions illius intelligentiaB sensus,
qui) typum ipsum, hoc est, historiam ac literara figemus certius. Bossuet Dissertat. in
, if sal. adjinem.
24 PREFACE.
of allegory, as to the manner in which the spiritual sense is couched-
under the other. Sometimes it can hardly breakr forth and show itself at
intervals through the literal, which meets the eye as the ruling sense, and
seems to have taken entire possession of the words and phrases. On the
contrary, it is much oftener the capital figure in the piece, and stands con-
fessed at once by such splendour of language, that the letter, in its turn,
is thrown into shades, and almost totally disappears. Sometimes it shines
with a constant equable light ; and sometimes it darts upon us on a sud-
den, like a flash of lightning from the clouds. But a composition is
never more truly elegant and beautiful, than when the two senses, alike
conspicuous, run parallel together through the whole poem, mutually
corresponding with, and illustrating each other. I will produce an un-
doubted instance or two of this kind, which will show my meaning, and
confirm what has hitherto been advanced on the subject of the mystic
allegory.
" The establishment of David upon his throne, notwithstanding the op-
position made to it by his enemies, is the subject of the second Psalm.
David sustains it in a two-fold character, literal and allegorical. If we
read over the Psalm first with an eye to the literal David, the meaning is
obvious, and put out of all dispute by the sacred histor3^ There is indeed
an uncommon glow^ in the expression, and sublimity in the figures, and
the diction is now and then exaggerated as it were on purpose to intimate,
and lead us to the contemplation of higher and more important matters
concealed within. In compliance with this admonition, if we take an-
other survey of the Psalm, as relative to the person and concerns of the
spiritual David, a nobler series of events instantly rises to view, and the
meaning becomes more evident, as well as exaked. The colouring, which
may perhaps seem too bold and glaring for the king of Israel, will no
longer appear so, when laid upon his great antitype. After we have thus
attentively considered the subjects apart, let us look at them together, and we
shall behold the full beauty and majesty of this most charming poem. We
shall perceive the two senses very distinct from each other, yet conspiring
in perfect harmony, and bearing a wonderful resemblance in every fea-
ture and lineament, while the analogy between them is so exactly pre-
served, that either may pass for the original from whence the other wa&
copied. New light is continually cast upon the phraseology, fresh weight
and dignity are added to the sentiment, till gradually ascending from
things below to things above, from human affairs to those which are di-
vine, they bear the great important theme upwards with them, and at
length place it in the height and brightness of heaven.
" What hath been obseved with regard to this Psalm, may also be ap-
plied to the seventy-second ; the subject of which is of the same kind, and
treated in the same manner. Its title might be, The Inauguration of Solo-
mon. The scheme of the allegory is alike in both; but a diversity of
matter occasions an alteration in the diction. For whereas one is em-
ployed in celebrating the magnificent triumphs of victory, it is the design
of the other to draw a pleasing picture of peace, and of that felicity which
is her inseparable attendant. The style is therefore of a more even and
temperate sort, and more richly ornamented. Itaboundeth not with those
sudden changes of the person speaking, which dazzle and astonish ; but
the imagery is borrowed from the delightful scenes with which creation
cheers the sight, and the pencil of the divine artist is dipped in the softest
colours of nature. And here we may take notice how peculiarly adapted
PREFACE. 25
to the genius of this kind of allegory the parabolical style is, on account
of that great variety of natural images to be found in it. For as these
images are capable of being employed in the illustration of things divine
and human, between which there is a certain analogy maintained, so they
easily afford that ambiguity which is necessary in this species of compo-
sition, where the language is applicable to each sense, and obscure in nei-
ther ; it comprehends both parts of the allegory, and may be clearly and
distinctly referred to one or the other."*
The scheme of exposition so beautifully delineated, and illustrated in
two instances by this truly valuable author, has been extended in theory,
by another learned writer, to a great part of the Psalter ; and that upon a
principle deduced from the attributes of God, and the nature and design
of the divine dispensations ; though his own labours, like those of Dr.
Hammond, were employed chiefly in literal criticism. His reasoning is
as follows —
" In this point (namely, the application of the Psalms to the mysteries
of the gospel) I am very clear. The Jews only, as a nation, acknow-
ledged the one supreme God, under the name of Jehovah ; they must be
therefore his peculiar people. There is nothing capricious in this ; they
are correlates, and of necessity answer reciprocally to each other. Hence
that singular intercourse between God and them. Hence, among other
instances of his favour, his communication of himself to them by super-
natural ways of oracle, inspiration, &c. When the acknowledgment of
the one God branched itself, from this Jewish flock, over the face of the
earth, and by that means he was become the God of all mankind, they
must all, for the same reason, become his people. As God is ever the
same, and his doings uniform, his conduct towards mankind must exactly*
be proportioned to his conduct towards the Jewish nation. Let us there-
fore place God in common over them both ; and there will be — on one
side, the Jewish nation ; and on the other, mankind ; onotie side Canaan, and
a national prosperity; on the other, heaven, and human happiness ; on one
side, a redemption from Egyptian servitude, and national evils ; on the
other, a redemption of the whole human race from absolute evil : on one
side, national crimes atoned by national ceremonies, sacrifices, priests ; on
the other, sins expiated by the one universal sacrifice of Jesus Christ :
on one side, national and temporary saviours, kings, prophets, &.c. ; on
the other, all this universal and eternal : on one side the law, and every
branch of it, adapted to a favourite nation ; on the other, the everlasting
gospel, suited to all mankind. It is impossible, therefore, that God can
say anything to David, under the quality of king of this chosen nation,
which he does not speak at the same time to Jesus Christ, as king of all
the elect : and that in a truer and nobler sense. To each of them he
speaks in a sense adapted to the nature of their respective kingdoms.
Nor is this latter a bare accommodation of words, but the first and highest
meaning of them, and which only, absolutely speaking, can be the true
sense of God ; the other being this sense, confined to a particular circum-
stance ; in other words, an absolute truth, made history, and matter of
fact. This is a principle, which shows, that, far from denying the Chris-
tian application, I consider the literal and historical sense only as a kind
of vehicle for it.f
* Bishop Lowth on the Hebrew poetry, Lect. xi.
t Preface to An Essay towards a New English Version of the Book of Psahns, by
the Rev. Mr. Mudge.
4
36 PREFACE.
Upon this plan it is, that many of the Psalms are interpreted in the fol-
lowing sheets.
In such of them as were written by David, and treat of his affairs, that
extraordinary person is considered as an illustrious representative of Mes-
siah, who is more than once foretold under the name of David, and to
whom are applied, in the New Testament, Psalms which do undoubtedly,
in the letter of them, relate to David, and were composed on occasion of
particular occurrences which befell him ; a circumstance in theology, to
be accounted for upon no other principle.
When therefore he describeth himself as one hated and persecuted with-
out a cause ; as one accused of crimes which he never committed, and
suffering for sins, the very thoughts of which he abhorred : as one whose
life was imbittered by affliction, and his soul overwhelmed with sorrows ;
yet, withal, as one whom no troubles could induce to renounce his trust
and confidence in the promises of God concerning him, when he repeateth
his resolutions of adhering to the divine law, setting forth its various ex-
cellencies, and the comforts which it afforded him in the days of adversity ;
when he complaineth of that implacable malice, and unrelenting fury,
with which he was pursued by Saul and his attendants, by Doeg the
Edomite, by rebellious Absalom, traitorous Ahitophel, &c. and when,
contrary to all appearances, he predicteth their destruction, with his own
final exaltation ; in expounding the Psalms of this cast and complexion, it
hath been my endeavour to direct the reader's thoughts to parallel circum-
stances, which present themselves in the history of the true David ; his
sorrows and sufferings ; his resignation under them all ; his obedience to
the will of his Father ; the temper and behaviour of his betrayers and
murderers ; the prophecies of judgments to be inflicted upohthem, and of
glory to be conferred upon him. As the Psalter was the liturgy of the
Jewish church, of which our Lord was a member, and to which he there-
fore entirely conformed, during his abode and humiliation upon earth, he
might pour forth his complaints and "offer up his prayers and supplica-
tions, with strong crying and tears,"* in the very words which his pro-
genitor David had before used under his own troubles, but which were
given by inspiration, with a view to the case of that blessed person, whom,
in those troubles, he had the honour to prefigure.
Other Psalms there are, which disclose far different scenes. In them,
the sorrows of David are at end, and the day of his deliverance hath
already dawned. The heavens are opened, and Jehovah appeareth in the
cause of his afflicted servant. He descendeth from above, encompassed
with clouds and darkness, preceded by fire and hail, proclaimed by thun-
der and earthquake, and attended by lightnings and whirlwinds. The
mountains smoke, and the rocks melt before him ; the foundations of the
globe are uncovered, and the deep from beneath is moved at his presence.
The adversary is dismayed and confounded ; opposition, in the height of
its career, feels the blast through all its powers, and instantly withers
away. The anointed of God. according to his original designation, is at
length elevated to the throne ; his sceptre is extended over the nations ;
the temple is planned by him, and erected by his son ; the services of re-
ligion are appointed in perfect order and beauty : Jerusalem becometh a
praise in all the earth ; and the kingdom is established in honour, peace,
and felicity. If in Psalms of the former kind, the holy Jesus might be-
hold those persecutions and sufferings under which he was to be humbled,
* Heb. V. 7.
PREFACE. 27
and to mourn, during his pilgrimage here below ; in Psalms of this latter
sort he might strengthen and console himself, as a man "touched with
the feelings of our infirmities, and tempted in all points like as we are,"
by viewing " the glory that should follow ;" by contemplating the mani-
festation of the Father in favour of his beloved Son ; his own joyful
resurrection, triumphant ascension, and magnificent inauguration; the
conversion of the world, and the establishment of the church ; events,
which were foreshadowed by those above-mentioned ; and to which, when
the strongest expressions made use of by the divine Psalmist are applied,
they will no longer appear hyperbolical ; especially if we bear in mind,
that these prophetic descriptions wait for their full and final accomplish-
ment at that day, when the mystical " body of Christ," having " filled up
that which is behind of his afiiictions,"* shall also, amidst the pangs and
convulsions of departing nature, arise from the dead, and ascend into hea-
ven ; where all the members of that body, which have been afflicted, and
have mourned with their Lord and Master, shall be comforted and glori-
fied together with him.f
In some of the Psalms, David appears as one suffering for his sins.
When man speaks of sin, he speaks of what is his own ; and therefore,
every Psalm, where sin is confessed to be the cause of sorrow, belongs
originally and properly to us, as fallen sons of Adam, like David, and all
other men. This is the case of the fifty-first, and the rest of those which
are styled Penitential Psalms, and have always been used in the church
ae such. Sometimes, indeed, it happens, that we meet with heavy
complaints of the number and burthen of sins, in Psalms, from which,
passages are quoted in the New Testament as uttered by our Redeemer,
in which there seems to be no change of person from beginning to end.
We are assured, for instance, by the apostle, Heb. x. 5, and the sixth,
seventh, and eighth verses of the fortieth Psalm, " Sacrifice and offering
thou didst not desire," &lc. are spoken by Messiah, coming to abolish the
legal sacrifices, by the oblation of himself once for all. The same per-
son, to appearance, continues speaking, and, only three verses after,
complains in the following terms; "Innumerable evils have compassed
me about, mine iniquities have taken hold of me, so that I am not able to
look up ; they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart-
faileth me." So again, there are no less than five quotations from different
parts of the sixty-ninth Psalm, all concurring to inform us, that Christ is
the speaker through that whole Psalm. Yet the fifth verse of it runs thus ;
" O God, thou knowest my foolishness and my tD'QDJJ^ guiltiness is not hid
from thee." The solution of this difficulty given, and continually in-
sisted on, in the writings of the Fathers, is this ; that Christ in the day
of his passion, standing charged with the sin and guilt of his people,
fipeaks of such their sin and guilt, as if they were his own, appropriating
to himself those debts, for which, in the capacity of a surety, he had
* Col. i. 24.
t Neque prcBtermittendum illud Augustini passim ; tunc Psalmos videri suavissi-
mos, ac divinissima luce perfusos, ciim in his caput et membra. Christum et Eccle-
siam, sive apert6 propalatos, sive latentor designates intelligimus. Quare itertim atque
itertim erigamus animos ; atque ubi atque Davidem Solomonem ; ubi Davidis hostes,
Saiilem, Achitophelem, aUos ; ubi bella et pacem, captivitatem libertatem, ac caetera,
ejusmodi audimus ; turn animo infigamus Christum, Ecclesiam laboribus pericuHsque ex-
ercitam, atque inter adversa et prospera peregrinantem ; turn sanctorum persecutores, noa
inod6 visibiles, sed etiam invisibiles illas atque aereas potestates, pugnasque in ha,c vita,
perpetes, ac secuturan posted pacem sempiternam. Bossuet Dissertat. in Psalm, ad Fin,
28 PREFACE.
made himself responsible. The lamb, which, under the law, was offered
for sin, took the name, Q'^ljj^ "guilt," because the guilt contracted by the
offerer, was transferred to that innocent creature, and typically expiated
by its blood.* Was not this exactly the case, in truth and reality, with
the Lamb of God ? " He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth ;
but he bare our sins in his own body on the tree.f He was made sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him." J Christ and the church compose one mystical person, of which he
is the head, and the church the body : and as the body speaks by the head,
and the head for the body, he speaks of her sin, and she of his righteous-
ness ; which consideration is at the same time a key to any claims of righ-
teousness made in the Psalms by her, and to any confession of sin made
by him. This seems to be a satisfactory account of the matter. Such at
least, appears to have been the idea generally adopted and received, in the
first ages of the Christian church ; a circumstance, which it is presumed,
will be deemed a sufficient apology for the author, if in the explication of
such passages, he hath ventured to proceed accordingly. Nay, and even
in reciting the Penitential Psalms, when the unhappy sufferer is ready
to sink down under that weight of wo which sin hath laid upon him, if
he will extend his thoughts, as he is sometimes directed to do, to that holy
and most innocent person, who felt and sorrowed so much for us all, he
will thereby furnish himself with the best argument for patience, and an
inexhaustible source of comfort. Nor can it, indeed, well be imagined, that
our blessed Lord, as a member of the Jewish church, and an attendant on the
service of the synagogue, though conscious to himself of no sin, did not
frequently join with his " brethren according to the flesh," in the repeti-
tion of the Penitential as well as the other Psalms, on the days of humilia-
tion and expiation, when the use of them might be prescribed. If from
his circumcision to his crucifixion he "bare our sins in his own body ;"
why should it be thought strange, that he should confess them, on our be-
half, with his own mouth ?
The offence taken at the supposed uncharitable and vindictive spirit of
the imprecations which occur in some of the Psalms, ceases immediately, if
■we change the imperative for the future, and read, not "let them be con-
founded," &c. but, "they shall BR confounded," &c. of which the He-
brew is equally capable. Such passages will then have no more difficulty
in them, than the other frequent predictions of divine vengeance in the
writings of the prophets, or denunciations of it in the gospels, intended to
warn, to alarm, and to lead sinners to repentance, that they may fly from
the wrath to come. This is Dr. Hammond's observation; who very pro-
perly remarks, at the same time, that in many places of this sort, as parti-
cularly in Psalm cix. (and the same may be said of Psalm Ixix.) it is
reasonable to resolve, that Christ himself speaketh in the prophet ; as being
the person there principally concerned, and the completion most signal in
many circumstances there mentioned ; the succession, especially of Mat-
thias, to the apostleship of Judas. It is true, that in the citation made by
St. Peter from Psalm cix. in Acts i. 20, as also in that made by St. Paul
from Psalm Ixix. in Rom. xi. 9, the imperative form is preserved ; " let
his habitation be void," &c. " let their table be made a snare," &.c. But
it may be considered, that the apostles generally cited from the Greek of
the LXX. version ; and took it as they found it, making no alteration,
when the passage, as it there stood, was sufficient to prove the main point
» See Lev. v. 6. t 1 Pet. ii. 22. t 2 Cor. v. 21.
PREFACE. 29
which it was adduced to prove. If the imprecatory form be still contended
for, all that can be meant by it, whether uttered by the prophet, by Mes-
siah, or by ourselves, must be a solemn ratification of the just judgments
of the Almighty against his impenitent enemies, like what we find as-
cribed to the blessed spirits in heaven, when such judgments were exe-
cuted. Rev. xi. 17, 18. xvi. 5, 6, 7. See Merrick's Annotations on
Psalm cix. and Witsii Miscellan. Sacr. Lib. I. Cap. xviii. Sect 24. But
by the future rendering of the verbs, every possible objection is precluded
at once. This method hast herefore been adopted in the ensuing Com-
mentary.
Of the Psalms which relate to Israel, some are employed in celebrating
the mercies vouchsafed them, from their going forth out of Egypt to their
complete settlement in Canaan. These were the constant standing subjects
of praise and thanksgiving in the Israelilish church. But we are taught
by the writers of the New Testament, to consider this part of their history
as one continued figure or allegory. We are told, that there is another
spiritual Israel of God ; other children of Abraham, and heirs of the pro-
mise ; another circumcision, another Egypt, from the bondage of which
they are redeemed ; another wilderness, through which they journey ;
other dangers and difficulties, which there await them ; other bread from
heaven, for their support; and another rock to supply them with living
water ; other enemies to overcome ; another land of Canaan, and another
Jerusalem, which they are to obtain and possess for ever. In the same
light are to be viewed the various provocations and punishments, captivi-
ties and restorations of old Israel afterwards, concerning which it is like-
wise true, that they " happened unto them for ensamples,"* types or fig-
ures, "and were written for our admonition."! Care has therefore been
taken, to open and apply, for that salutary purpose, the Psalms which treat
of the above-mentioned particulars.
What is said in the Psalms occasionally of the law and its ceremonies,
sacrifices, ablutions, and purifications ; of the tabernacle and temple, with
the services therein performed ; and of the Aronical priesthood ; all this
Christians transfer to the new law; to the oblation of Christ; to justifica-
tion by his blood, and sanctification by his Spirit ; to the true tabernacle
or temple, not made with hands ; and to what was therein done for the
salvation of the world, by Him who was, in one respect, a sacrifice ; in
another, a temple; and in a third, a high priest for ever, after the order
of Melchisedek. That such was the intention of these legal figures, is
declared at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews: and they are of great
assistance to us now, in forming our ideas of the realities to which they
correspond. " Under the Jewish economy," says the excellent Mr. Pas-
cal, "truth appeared but in figure; in heaven it is open, and without a
veil ; in the church militant it is so veiled, as to be yet discerned by its
correspondence to the figure. As the figure was first buih upon the truth,
so the truth is now distinguishable by the figure." The variety of strong
expressions used by David, in the nineteenth, and the hundred and nine-
teenth Psalms, to extol the enlivening, saving, healing, comforting efficacy
of a law, which, in the letter of it, whether ceremonial or moral, without
pardon and grace, could minister nothing but condemnation, do sufficiently
prove, that David understood the spirit of it, which was the gospel itself.J
* Gr. Twrot t 1 Cor. x. 11.
t Hsc inter, veri et spirituales Judsi, hoc est, ante Christum Christ! discipuli, altiom
cogitabant, ct rerum cslestium Sacramenta veaerati, novam Jenisalem, novum Tem-
30
PREFACE.
And if any who recited those Psalms, had not the same idea, it was not
the fault of the law, or of the Psalms, of Moses, or of David, or of him
who inspired both, but it was their own ; as it is that of the Jews at this
hour, though their prophesies have now been fulfilled, and their types
realized. " He that takes his estimate of the Jewish religion from the
grossness of the Jewish multitude," as the last cited author observes, " can-
not fail of making a very wrong judgment. It is to be sought for in the
sacred writings of the prophets, who have given us sufficient assurance^
that they understood the law not according to the letter. Our religion, in
like manner, is true and divine in the gospels, and in the preaching of
the apostles ; but it appears utterly disfigured in those who maim or cor-
rupt it."
Besides the figures supplied by the children of Israel, and by the law,
there is another set of images often employed in the Psalms, to describe
the blessings of redemption. These are borrowed from the natural world,
the manner of its original production, and operations continually carried
on in it. The visible works of God are formed to lead us, under the di-
rection of his word, to a knowledge of those which are invisible; they
give us ideas, by analogy, of a new creation rising gradually, like the old
one, out of darkness and deformity, until at length it arrives at the perfec-
tion of glory and beauty ; so tha* while we praise the Lord for all the
wonders of his power, wisdom, and love, displayed in a system which is
to wax old and perish, we may therein contemplate, as in a glass, those
new heavens, and that new earth, of whose duration there shall be no
end.* The sun, that fountain of life, and heart of the world, that bright
leader of the armies of heaven enthroned in glorious majesty; the moon
shining with a lustre borrowed from his beams ; the stars glittering by
night in the clear firmament ; the air giving breath to all things that live
and move ; the interchanges of light and darkness ; the course of the
year, and the sweet vicissitude of seasons ; the rain and the dew descend-
ing from above, and the fruitfulness of the earth caused by them ; the bow
bent by the hands of the Most High, which compasseth the heaven about
with a glorious circle ; the awful voice of thunder, and the piercing
power of lightning ; the instincts of animals,t and the qualities of vege-
plum, novam arcam intuebantur. Bossuet Disseriat. in Psal. Cap. i. — Lex, juxta Spiri-
tum accepta, ipsum erat Evangelium,sub veteribus figuris delitescens, et ceremoniarum
velis obtectum, ab ipso quidem Mose (imprimis in Deuteronomio) aiiquatenus et pro
temporum ratione explicatum, a Prophetis ver6 succedentibus (ut visum est Divinaj
Sapientiae) dilucidins ostensum, demum a Christo et Apostolis plenissime et luce ipso
Sole clariori patefactum. Bulli Opera per Grabe, p. 614. — If the Jews, as our Saviour
tells them, " thought they had eternal life in their Scriptures," they must needs have im-
derstood them in a spiritual sense : and I know not what other spiritual sense, that should
lead them to the expectation of eternal life, they could put on their scriptures, but that
prophetic or typical sense, vi^hich respected the Messiah. Jesus expregsly asserts, at the
same time, that their " scriptures testified of him." How generally they do sp, he ex-
plained at large, in that remarkable conversation with two of his disciples after his resur-
rection ; when " beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto tliem
in ALL the scriptures the things concerning himself." Hurd's Inirod. to the study of
the Prophecies, Serm. ii.
* Read nature : nature is a friend to truth ;
Nature is Christian, preaches to mankind ;
And bids dead matter aid ns in our creed. — Young.
+ ** I believe a good natural philosopher might show, with great reason and proba-
bility, that there is scarce a beast, bird, reptile, or insect, that does not, in each particu-
lar climate, instruct an'd admonish mankind of some necessary truth, for their happiness
either in body or mind." Dr. Cheyne'sJPhilosophical Conjectures on the preference
of Vegetable Food, p. 73. That which a celebrated writer has often observed concer-
PREFACE. 31
tables and minerals ; the great and wide sea, with its unnumbered inhabi-
tants ; all these are ready to instruct us in the mysteries of faith, and the
duties of morality.
They speak their Maker as they can.
But want and ask the tongue of man. — Parnell.
The advantages of Messiah's reign are represented in some of the
Psalms under images of this kind. We behold a renovation of all things,
and the world, as it were, new created, breaks forth into singing. The
earth is crowned with sudden verdure and fertility ; the field is joyful,
and all that is in it ; the woods rejoice before the Lord ; the floods clap
their hands in concert, and ocean fills up the mighty chorus, to cele-
brate the advent of the great King.
Similiar to these, are the representations of spiritual mercies by temporal
deliverances from sickness, prison, danger of perishing in storms at sea,
and from the sundry kinds of calamity and death to which the body of
man is subject ; as also by scenes of domestic felicity, and by the flourish-
ing state of well-ordered communities, especially that of Israel in Canaan,
which while the benediction of Jehovah rested upon it, was a picture of
heaven itself — The foregoing, and every other species of the sacred im-
agery, if there be any other not hitherto included, it hath been the author's
main endeavour to illustrate. And a view of what is done in this way,
will, it is humbly hoped, afTord some reason to think there may not be that
necessary connexion, which a late noble writer has been pleased to sup-
pose, between devotion and dulness.
The Psalms which remain, are such as treat in plain terms, without
figures or examples, of wisdom and folly, righteousness and sin ; the hap-
piness produced by one, and the misery caused by the other ; of particular
virtues and vices ; of the vanity of human life ; of the attributes of God ;
of that patience with which the faithful should learn to bear the sight of
wickedness triumphant, in this world, looking forward to the day of final
retribution ; and subjects of the like nature. As Psalms of this kind call
for little in the expository way, the general doctrines or precepts implied
in them, or suggested by them, are drawn forth in short reflections, at-
tempted after the manner of those made by father Gluesnel, on each verse
of the New Testament. The opportunity of doing this, where nothing
else seemed to be required, and indeed of doing, upon every occasion,
what did seem to be required in any way, was the reason for throwing
the work into its present form, rather than that of a paraphrase, or any
other. Some repetitions, in a performance of this sort, are unavoidable.
ning a poet, may perhaps be equally applicable to a divine — " To him nothing can be
useless. Whatever is beautiful, and whatever is dreadful, should be familiar to his
imagination : he should be conversant with all that is awfully vast or elegantly little.
The plants of the garden, the animals of the wood, the minerals of the earth, and me-
teors of the sky, should all concur to store his mind with inexhaustible variety ; for
every idea is useful for the enforcement or decoration of moral or religious truth ; and
he who knows most, will have most power of diversifying his scenes, and of gratifying
his reader with remote allusions, and unexpected instruction. By him, therefore, no
kind of knowledge should be overlooked. He should range mountains and deserts for
images and resemblances, and picture upon his mind every tree of the forest, and flower
of the valley ; the crags of the rock, and the mazes of the stream." Rasselas, Chap.
X. The reader may see this exemplified in some "Disquisitions on Select Subjects of
Scripture," by my worthy friend, the Rev. Mr. Jones, whose labours make it evident,
that true Philosophy will ever be the handmaid of true divinity.
32 PREFACE.
But a commentary on the book of Psalms is not to be read all at once ;*
and it was thought better to give the exposition of each Psalm complete
in itself, than to refer the reader elsewhere ; which, therefore, is only-
done, when passages of a considerable length occur in two Psalms, with-
out any material difference.
Such is the method the author has taken, such the authorities upon
which he has proceeded, and such the rules by which he has directed
himself If consistency and uniformity in the comment have been the
result, they will afford, it is hoped, no contemptible argument on its be-
half; since it is scarce possible to expound uniformly, on an erroneous
plan, so great a variety of figurative language as is to be found in the
book of Psalms. t •
Let us stop, for a moment, to contemplate the true character of these
sacred hymns.
Greatness confers no exemption from the cares and sorrows of life. Its
share of them frequently bears a melancholy proportion to its exaltation.
This the Israelitish monarch experienced. He sought in piety that peace
which he could not find in empire, and elleviated the disquietudes of state
with the exercises of devotion.
His invaluable Psalms convey those comforts to others which they af-
forded to himself Composed upon particular occasions, yet designed for
general use ; delivered out as services for Israelites under the law, yet no
less adapted to the circumstances of Christians under the gospel ; they
present religion to us in the most engaging dress ; communicating truths
which philosophy could never investigate, in a style which poetry can
never equal ; while history is made the vehicle of prophecy, and creation
lends all its charms to paint the glories of redemption. Calculated alike
to profit and to please, they inform the understanding, elevate the affec-
tions, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence of Him,
to whom all hearts are known, and all events foreknown, they suit man-
kind in all situations, grateful as the manna which descended from above,
and conformed itself to every palate. The fairest productions of human
wit, after a few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our hands, and
lose their fragrancy : but these unfading plants of paradise become, as
we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful ; their bloom
appears to be daily heightened ; fresh odours are emitted, and new sweets
* The most profitable way of reading it, perhaps, would be, by small portions, often
reviewing the text and the comment, and comparing them carefully together ; at times
when the mind is most free, vacant, and calm ; in the morning, more especially to pre-
pare and fortify it for the business of the day ; and in the evening, to recompose, and
set it in order, for the approaching season of rest.
t The student in Theology, who is desirous for farther information upon a subject
so curious, so entertaining, and so interesting, as that of the figurative language of
Scripture, the principles on which it is founded, and the best rule to be observed in the
sober and rational interpretation of it, may find satisfaction by consulting the following
authors —
Lowth's Preface to his Commentary on the Prophets.
Lowth Prelect, de Sacr. Poes. Heb. Prselect. iv. — xii.
Pascal's Thoughts, Sect. x. — xiv.
Kurd's Introd. to the study of the Prophecies, Serm. ii. iii. iv.
Vitringa Observat. Sacr. Lib. vi. Cap. xx. et Lib. vii.
Prsefat. ad Comment, in Jesaiam.
Glassii Philologia Sacr. Lib. ii.
Witsii Miscellan. Sacra. Tom. I. Lib. iii. Cap. iii. Lib. ii. Dissert, i. ii. CEconom. Foed.
Lib. iv. Cap. vi. — x.
Waterland's General Preface to Scripture Vindicated.
PREFACE. 33
'■extracted from them. He who hath once tasted their excellencies, will
desire to taste them again ; and he who tastes them oftenest, will relish
them best.
And now could the author flatter himself, that any one would take half
the pleasure in reading the following exposition, which he hath taken in
writing it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The employment
detached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and
the noise of folly ; vanity and vexation flew away for a season, care and
disquietude came not near his dwelling. He arose, fresh as the morning,
to his task ; the silence of the night invited him to pursue it; and he can
truly say, that food and rest were not preferred before it. Every Psalm
improved infinitely upon his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him
uneasiness but the last ; for then he grieved that his work was done.
Happier hours than those which have been spent on these meditations
upon the Songs of Sion, he never expects to see in this world. Very
pleasantly did they pass, and moved smoothly and swiftly along: for,
when thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but have left a
relish and a fragrance upon the mind, and the remembrance of them is
■ sweet.
But, alas, these are the fond eff'usions of parental tenderness. Others
will view the production with very different eyes, and the harsh voice of
inexorable criticism will too soon awaken him from his pleasing dream.
He is not insensible, that many learned and good men, whom he does not
therefore value and respect the less, have conceived strong prejudices
against the scheme of interpretation here pursued ; and he knows how
little the generality of modern Christians have been accustomed to specu-
lations of this kind ; which it may likewise, perhaps, be said, will give
occasion to the scoffs of our adversaries, the Jews and the Deists. Yet,
if in the preceding pages it hath been made to appear, that the application
of the Psalms to evangelical subjects, times, and circumstances, stands
upon firm ground ; that it may be prosecuted upon a regular and consis-
tent plan ; and that it is not only expedient, but even necessary, to render
the use of them in our devotions rational and profitable ; will it be pre-
sumption in him to hope, that upon a calm and dispassionate review of
the matter, prejudipes may subside and be done away? If men, in these
days, have not been accustomed to such contemplations, is it not high time
they should become so? Can they begin too soon to study and make
themselves masters of a science, which promises to its votaries so much
entertainment as well as improvement ; which recommends the scriptures
to persons of true taste and genius, as books intended equally for our
delight and instruction ; which demonstrates the ways of celestial wisdom
to be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths to be peace indeed ! From
the most sober, deliberate, and attentive survey of the sentiment which
prevailed upon this point, in the first ages of the church, when the apos-
tolical method of citing and expounding the Psalms was fresh upon the
minds of their followers, the author cannot but be confident, that his Com-
mentary, if it had then made its appearance, would have been universally
received and approved, as to the general design of it, by the whole Chris-
tian world. And however the Jews, in their present state of alienation
and unbelief, may reject and set at nought such applications of their scrip-
tures to our Messiah, and his chosen people, as they certainly will do ; he
is not less confident, that, whenever the happy and glorious day of their
-conversion shall come, and the veil shall be taken from their hearts, they
5
34
PREFACE.
will behold the Psalter in that light in which he has endeavoured to place -
it.* As to the Deists, they, while they continue such, can have neither
lot nor part in this matter ; for giving no credit to the scripture account of
things, either in the Old Testament or the New, to discourse with them
concerning a connection and analogy subsisting between the one and the
other, is to reason about a fifth sense with a man who has only four. For
the conviction both of the Jews and Deists, other arguments are to be
urged; arguments from undeniable miracles openly wrought, and plain-
prophecies literally fulfilled. Such proofs are " for them that believe
not." And such have been repeatedly urged, in their full force, by many
able champions, who have stood forth (success evermore attend their
labours!) in defence of the Evidences of Christianity. Expositions and
meditations, like those in the subsequent pages, serve not, nor are intended
to serve, " for them who believe not, but for them who believe ;"t who will
exercise their faculties in discerning and contemplating the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, and who are going on unto perfection ; to in-
crease their faith, and inflame their charity: to delight them in prosperity,
to comfort them in adversity, and to edify them at all times. Such effects,.
the author doubts not, will be experienced by believers, who will read his
book with an honest and good heart, with seriousness and attention ; for
though he humbly trusts it will not be deemed altogether unworthy a place
in the libraries of the learned, he builds chiefly on that approbation which
he is solicitous it should receive in the closets of the devout ; as considering,,
that it is lovp:, heavenly love, which "never faileth ; but whether there be
prophecies, they shall fail ; whether there be tongues, they shall cease ;
whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part,
and we prophecy in part ; but when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away." J They who find not the wished-for
satisfaction in one portion, will find it in another ; they who disapprove of
an interpretation at the first reading, may perhaps approve of it at the
second ; and they who still continue to disapprove of some particulars,
will not therefore disdain to accept the benefit of the rest. He has writ-
ten to gratify no sect or party, but for the common service of all who call
on the name of Jesus, wheresoever dispersed, and however distressed
upon the earth. When he views the innumerable unhappy differences^
among Christians, all of whom are equally oppressed with the cares and
calamities of life, he often calls to mind those beautiful and affecting words,
which Milton represents Adam as addressing to Eve, after they had
wearied themselves with mutual complaints and accusations of each other : —
* " If this appears to be the case in so many of the Psalms (namely, that they are pre-
dictive of Messiah), how strongly does it justify the Lord's appeal to them, as treating^
of Him ? And what a noble argument may hence arise for the conviction and conver-
sion of that extraordinary people, to whom they were originally communicated, when,
once the veil that is on their hearts shall he tahen away, as by the same spirit of
prophecy we are assured it shall !" The Bishop of Carlisle's Theory of Religion, p.
176, 6th edit. — With what transports of zeal and devotion, of faith and love, will they
recite these holy hymns, in the day when the whole body of the Jews, returning to the
Lord their God, shall acknowledge their unparelled crime in the murder of their King,
and their penitential sorrow for the same, perhaps as his Lordship intimates, in the words
of the fifty-first Psalm ; " deliver me from blood -guiltiness, O God, thou God of my sal-
vation ; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my
lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would
I give it ; thou delightest not in burnt- offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ;
a broken and contrite h'^art, O God thou wilt not despise. O do good in thy good pleasure
to Zion : build thou the walls of Jerusalem !"
1 1 Cor. xiv. 22. X 1 Cor. xiii. 8.
PREFACE. 36
But rise ; let us no more contend nor blamo
Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere ; but strive
In offices of love, how we may lighten
Each other's burden in our share of wo. — B. x. V. 958.
Enough has been given to the arts of controversy. Let something be
given to the studies of piety and a holy hfe. If we can once unite in
these, our tempers may be better disposed to unite in doctrine. When we
shall be duly prepared to receive it, " God may reveal even this unto us."
To increase the number of disputes among us, is, therefore by no means
the intent of this publication. The author having, for many years, accus-
tomed himself to consider and apply the Psalms, while he recited them
according to the method now laid down, has never failed to experience the
unspeakable benefit of it, both in public and in private ; and would wish,
if it so pleased God, that death might find him employed in meditations of
this kind.* He has likewise frequently taken occasion, in the course of
his ministry, to explain a Psalm upon the same plan, from the pulpit ; and
whenever he has done so, whether the audience were learned or unlearned,
polite or rustic, he has generally had the happiness to find the discourse, in
an especial manner, noticed and remembered. But still, many may be of
a different opinion, who may conscientiously believe the doctrines, and
practise the duties of the gospel, whether they see them shadowed out
in the Psalms or not. Such will enjoy their own liberty, and permit their
brethren to do the same. Or, if they shall think it necessary to take up
the polemical pen, he desires only to receive that treatment which he has
himself shown to every writer, cited, or referred to by him.f Instead of
engaging in a tedious, and perhaps, unprofitable altercation upon the sub-
ject, he feels himself, at present, much rather inchned, in such a case, to
follow, at his proper distance, the amiable example of his greatly re-
spected Diocesan, who reprinted in England the objections made by a
foreign Professor to some parts of his Lectures on the Hebrew poetry, and
left the public to form its own judgment between them. J From that pub-
lic, the author of the following work is now to expect the determination
of his fate. Should its sentence be in his disfavour, nothing farther re-
mains to be said, than that he has honestly and faithfully endeavoured to
serve it, to the utmost of his power, in the way in which he thought him-
self best able ; and to give the world some account of that time, and those
opportunities, which by the Providence of a gracious God, and the muni-
ficence of a pious Founder, he has long enjoyed in the happy retirement
of a college.
* " I have lost a world of time," said the learned Salmasius, on his death-bed ; " if
I had one year more, I would spend it in reading David's Psalms, and Paul's Epistles.'*
t Deter igitur erratis meis venia : Ipse demum exemplo meo mihi prosim, qui neminem
eorum, a quibus dissenserim, contumeliis affeci: qui non, vitio Criticorum, in diversae
sententiaj propuguatores acriter invectus sum ; qui denique earn veniam antecessoribus
meis libens tribui, quam ab iis, qui hsec in manus sumturi sint, velim impetrare. Pearce
in Pr(Bfat. ad edit. Cic. de Oratore.
t " In his si quae sunt quae mihi minus persuasit Vir Clarissimus, ea malul hoc modo
libero Lectorum nostrorum judicio permittere, quam in disceptationem et controversiam,
injucundam et fortasse infructuosam vocare." Lowth, in Prcefat. ad edit. 2dam Pre-
lect, de Sacra Poesi Hebrcnorum. — " Authors should avoid, as much as they can,"
says another very learned critic, " replies and rejoinders, the usual consequences of
which are, loss of time, and los» of temper. Happy is he who is engaged in controversy
with his own passions, and comes off superior ; who makes it his endeavour, that his
follies and weaknesses may die before him, and who daily meditates on mortality and
immortality." Jortin's Preface to his Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, p. xxxiv.
( 36 )
That the reader may the more easily turn to such Psalms as will best suit
the present state of his mind, according to the different circumstances,
whether external or internal, into which by the changes and chances
of life, or the variations of temper and disp9sition, he may, at any time,
be thrown, the common Table of Psalms, classed under their several
subjects, is here subjoined.
Psalms of Praise and Adoration, dis-
playing the Attributes of God.
I. General acknowledgement of God's
Goodness and Mercy, and particularly
his care and protection of good men.
Psalm 23, 34, 36, 91, 100, 103, 107,
117, 121, 145, 146.
II. Psalms displaying the Power, Majesty,
Glory, and other attributes of the Divine
Being. Psalm 8, 19, 24, 29, 33, 47,
50, 65, 66, 76, 77, 93, 95, 96, 97, 99,
104, 111, 113, 114, 115, 134, 139, 147,
148, 150.
Prayers.
I. Prayers for Pardon of Sin. Psalm G,
25, 38, 51, 130. Psalms, styled Peni-
tential, 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143.
II. Prayers composed when the Psalmist
weis deprived of an opportunity of the
public exercise of religion. Psalm 42,
43, 63, 84.
III. Prayers wherein the Psalmist seems
extremely dejected, though not totally
deprived of consolation under his afflic-
tions. Psalm 13, 22, 69, 77, 88, 143.
IV. Prayers wherein the Psalmist asketh
help of God, in consideration of his own
integrity, and the uprightness of his
cause. Psalm 7, 17, 26, 35.
V. Prayers expressing the firmest trust
and confidence in God under afflictions.
Psalm'i, 16, 27, 31, 54, 56, 57, 61, 62,
71, 86.
VI. Prayers composed when the people
of God were under affliction or persecu-
tion. PsaZm44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 89,
94, 102, 123, 137.
VII. The following are likewise Prayers
in time of trouble and affliction. Psalm
4, 5, 11, 28, 41, 55, 59, 64, 70, 109,
120, 140, 141, 142.
' VIII. Prayers of intercession. Psalm 20,
67, 122, 132, 144.
Psalms of Thanksgiving.
I. Thanksgivings for Mercies vouchsafed
to particular persons. Psalm 9, 18, 22,
30,34, 40, 75, 103, 108, 116, 118, 138,
144.
II. Thanksgivings for mercies vouchsafed
to the Israelites in general, Psalm 45,
48, 65, 66, 68, 76,81, 84, 98, 105, 124,
126, 129, 135, 136, 149.
Instructive Psalms.
I. The different characters of good and
bad men ; the happiness of the one,
and the miseries of the other, are repre-
sented in the following. Psalm 1, 5.
7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 24, 25, 32,
34, 36, 37, 50, 52, 53, 58, 73, 75, 84,
91, 92, 94, 112, 119, 121, 125, 127, 128,
133.
II. The excellence of God's Law. Psalm
19, 119.
III. The vanity of human life. Psalm
39, 49, 90.
IV. Advice to magistrates. Psalm 82,
101.
V. The virtue of humility. Psalm 131.
Psalms »iore eminently and directly
prophetical.
Psalm 2, 16, 22, 40; 45, 68, 72, 87, 101,
118.
Historical Psalms.
Psalm 78, 105, 106.
A
COMMENTARY
ON THE
BOOK OF PSALMS.
FIRST DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM I.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, which is generally looked upon by expositors as a pre-
face or introduction to the rest, describes the blessedness of the righteous, consisting,
verse 1. negatively, in their abstaining from sin ; 2. positively, in holy meditation on
the Scriptures, productive of continual growth in grace, which, 3. is beautifully re-
presented under an image borrowed from vegetation : as, 4. is the opposite state of
the unbelieving and ungodly, by a comparison taken from the threshing-floor. The
last two verses foretei the final issue of things, with respect to both good and bad men,
at the great day.
Verse 1. Blessed is the tnan that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly ,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
The Psalter, like the Sermon on the Mount, openeth with a " beati-
tude," for our comfort and encouragement, directing us immediately to
that happiness which all mankind, in different ways, are seeking
and inquiring after. All would secure themselves from the incur-
sions of misery ; but all do not consider that misery is the offspring
of sin, from which it is therefore necessary to be delivered and pre-
served, in order to become happy, or " blessed." The variety of ex-
pressions here used by David, intimateth to us, that there is a grada-
tion in wickedness ; and that he who would not persist in evil courses,
or commence a scoffer at the mystery of godliness, must have no fel-
lowship with bad men : since it is impossible for any one, who for-
sakes the right path, to say, whither he shall wander ; and few,
when they begin to " walk in the counsel of the ungodly," propose
finally to sit down in the " seat of the scornful." O thou second
Adam, who alone since the transgression of the first, hast attained
a sinless perfection, make thy servants " blessed," by making them
" righteous," through thy merits and grace !
2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he medi-
tate day and night.
He who hath once brought himself to " defight" in the Scriptures,
will find no temptation to exchange that pleasure for any which the
38 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
world or the flesh can offer him. Such an one will make the lively
oracles of God his companions by day and by night. He will have
recourse to them for direction, in the bright and cheerful hours of
prosperity ; to them he will apply for comfort, in the dark and dreary
seasons of adversity. The enemy, when advancing to the assault,
will always find him well employed, and will be received with —
" Get thee behind me, Satan !" When the law of God is the object
of our studies and meditations, we are conformed to the example of
our Redeemer himself, who, as a man, while he "increased in
stature," increased likewise " in wisdom," and grew powerful in the
knowledge of the law which he was to fulfil, and of those prophecies
which he was to accomplish ; so that, at twelve years of age, he ap-
peared to " have more understanding than all his teachers ; for the
divine testimonies had been his meditation." Ps. cxix. 99.
3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring eth
forth his fruit in his season j his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper.
By continual meditation in the sacred writings, a man as natu-
rally improves and advances in holiness, as a "tree" thrives and
flourishes in a kindly and well-watered soil. All the "fruits" of
righteousness show themselves at their proper " season" as opportu-
nity calls for them ; and his words, which are to his actions what
the "leaves" are to the fruit, fall not to the ground, but are profitable,
as well as ornamental. Every thing in him and about him serves
the purpose for which it was intended ; his brethren are benefited
by him, and his Maker is glorified. How eminently is this the case
with that Tree of Life, which Jehovah planted in the midst of his
new paradise, by waters of comfort ; a tree which sprung out of the
earth, but its height reached to heaven, and its breadth to the ends
of the world ! its shadow is for the protection, its fruit for the sup-
port, and its leaves for the healing, of the nations. It flourishes in
immortal youth, and blooms for ever in unfading beauty. See Rev.
xxii. 2:
4. The ungodly are not so ; but like the chaff, which the wind driveth away.
In the foregoing description of the righteous, all appeared verdant,
and fruitfiil, lovely and enduring ; but here, by way of contrast, we
are presented with nothing but what is witheied and worthless, with-
out form or stability, blown about by every wind, and at length
finally dispersed from the face of the earth, by the breath of God's
displeasure, and driven into the fire prepared for it. Such is the state,
such the lot of the " ungodly ;" and so justly are they compared to
"chaff."
5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous.
A day is coming, when the divine Husbandman shall appear with
his " fan in his hand," and shall " thoroughly purge his floor." The
wheat, which shall stand the winnowing of that day, will be gathered
into the celestial granary ; while the chaff, for ever separated from
'Ai
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 39
it, shall be hurried out of the floor, and carried, by a mighty whirl-
wind, to its own place. Then shall there be a " congregation of the
righteous," in which " sinners shall not stand." At present wheat
and chair lie in one floor ; wheat and tares grow in one field ; good
and bad fishes are comprehended in one net ; good and bad men
are contained in the visible church. Let us wait with patience God's
time of separation.
6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous : but the way of the un-
godly shall perish.
In the present scene of confusion, we may be and often are, de-
ceived in the judgment we form of men. But it cannot be so with
the Omniscient. " The foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, — The Lord knoweth them that are his ;" 2 Tim. ii. 19.
Their good deeds are not unobserved, nor will they be forgotten by
him. His eye seeth them in secret, and his hand will reward them
openly, in the day of final retribution ; when crowns of glory shall
sparkle on the heads of the righteous, but shame and torment shall be
the portion of the wicked ; " the way of the ungodly shall perish."
PSALM IL
ARGUMENT. — David, seated upon the throne of Israel, notwithstandinjr the opposi-
tion made against him, and now about to carry his victorious arms amongst the neigh-
bouring heathen nations, may be supposed to have penned this, as a kind of inaugu-
ration Psalm. But that *' a greater than David is here," appears not only from the
strength of the expressions, which are more properly applicable to Messiah, than to
David himself; but also from the citations made in the New Testament ; the ap-
pointment of the Psalm by the church to be read on Easter-day ; and the confessions
of the Jewish rabbis. It treats therefore, 1 — 3. of the opposition raised, both by Jevir
and Gentile, against the kingdom of Jesus Christ ; 4 — 6. of his victory, and the con-
fusion of his enemies ; 7 — 9. after his resurrection, he preaches the Gospel ; and,
10 — 12. calls the kings of the earth to accept it ; denouncing vengeance against those
who shall not do so, and pronouncing a blessing on those who shall.
1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ? 2. Tke
kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, againat
the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, —
The true David is introduced, like his ancestor of old, expostula-
ting with the nations, for their vain attempts to frustrate the divine
decree in his favour. These two verses are cited, Acts iv. 27, and
thus expounded — " Lord — of a truth, against thy holy child, Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do
whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."
Persecution may be carried on by the people, but it is raised and
fomented by kings and rulers. After the ascension of Christ, and
the eflfusion of the Spirit, the whole power of the Roman empire Avas
employed in the same cause, by those who, from time to time,
swayed the sceptre of the world. But still, they who intended to
extirpate the faith, and destroy the church, how many and how
40 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
mighty soever they might be, were found only to " imagine a vaia-
thing." And equally vain will every imagination be, that exalteth
itself against the counsels of God for the salvation of his people.
3. Let us break their hands asunder^ and cast away their cords from us.
These words, supposed to be spoken by the powers in arms against
Messiah, discover to us the true ground of opposition, namely, the
unwillingness of rebellious nature to submit to the obhgations of
divine laws, which cross the interests, and lay a restraint upon the
desires of men. Corrupt affections are the most inveterate enemies
of Christ ; and their language is, " We will not have this man to
reign over us." Doctrines would be readily believed, if they involved
in them no precepts ; and the church may be tolerated by the world^
if she will only give up her discipline.
4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh : the Lord shall have them in
derisio7i.
By these and such like expressions, which frequently occur in the
Scripture, we are taught in a language which we understand, be-
cause borrowed from ourselves, and our manner of showing con-
tempt, how the schemes of worldly politicians appear to him, who
sitting upon his heavenly throne surveys at a glance whatever men
are doing, or contriving to do, upon the earth. This is the idea in-
tended to be conveyed ; and from it we are to separate all notions of
levity, or whatever else may offend when applied to the Godhead,
though adhering to the phrases as in use among the sons of Adam.
The same is to be said with regard to words which seem to attribute
many other human passions and affections to the Deity : as, for in-
stance, these which follow^ :
5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore dis-
pleasure. 6. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.
The meaning is, that by pouring out his indignation upon the ad-
versaries of Messiah, as formerly upon those of David, God would
no less evidently convict and reprove their folly and impiety, than if
he had actually thus spoken to them from his eternal throne above :
" Yet, notwithstanding all your rage against him, have 1 raised from
the dead, and exalted as the Head of the church, my appointed King
Messiah ; in hke manner as I once set his victorious representative
David upon my holy hill of Sion, in the earthly Jerusalem, out of the
reach of his numerous and implacable enemies." Let us reflect for
our comfort, that He who raised up his son Jesus, has promised to-
raise up us also who believe in him : and that the world can no
more prevent the exaltation of the members, than it could prevent
that of the Head.
7. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son :
this day have I begotten thee.
Jesus, for the suffering of death, crowned with honour and immor-
tality, upon the holy hill of Zion, in the new Jerusalem, now " de*
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. '41
dares the decree," or preaches the Gospel of the everlasting covenant.
His part in the covenant was performed by keeping the law, and
dying for the sins of men. Nothing therefore remained but the ac-
complishment of the promise made to him by the Father, upon those
conditions. One part of this promise was fulfilled, saith St. Paul,
" in that he had raised up Jesus again ; as it is written in the second
Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee:" Acts
xiii. 33. Another part w^as fulfilled at the ascension of Christ, and
his inauguration to an eternal kingdom, and an unchangeable priest-
hood, as the true Melchizedeck, King of righteousness. King of peace,
and Priest of the most high God. The next article in the covenant,
on the Father's side, was the enlargement of Messiah's spiritual
kingdom, by the accession of the nations to the church. And ac-
cordingly, this was the next thing which " Jehovah said unto him,'^
after having proclaimed his Sonship and pre-eminence ; as we find
by the following verse :
8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance^ and
the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Christ was to enter upon the exercise of the intercessorial branch
of his priestly office with a request of the Father, that the " heathea
world might be given for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth for his possession," in return for the labours he had under-
gone, and the pains he had endured : as also to supply the place of
the Jews, who were his original " inheritance and possession," but
were cast off, because of unbelief. That such request was made by
Christ, and granted by the Father, the person who writes this, and
he who reads it, in a once Pagan, but now Christian island, are
both witnesses.
9. T%ou shall break them with a rod of iron ; thou shall dash them in pieces
like a pottefs vessel.
The irresistible power and inflexible justice of Christ's kingdom
are signified by his " ruUng with a rod of iron ;" the impotence of
those who presume to oppose him, is compared to that of "a potter's
vessel," which must fly in pieces at the first stroke of the iron rod.
The power of Christ will be manifested in all, by the destruction
either of sin, or the sinner. The hearts which now yield to the im-
pressions of his Spirit, are broken only in order to be formed anew,
and to become vessels of honour, fitted for the Master's use. Those
which continue stubborn and hardened, must be dashed in pieces by
the stroke of eternal vengeance.
10. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings : be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. 11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
The decree of the Father, concerning the kingdom of the Son,
being thus promulgated by the latter, an exhortation is made to
the kings of the earth, that they would learn true wisdom, and suf-
fer themselves to be instructed unto salvation ; that they would bow
their sceptres to the cross of Jesus, and cast their crowns before his
throne ; esteeming it a far greater honour, as well as a more exalted
42 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
pleasure, to serve Him, than to find themselves at the head of victo-
rious armies, surrounded by applauding nations.
12. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way ; when his
wrath is kindled but a little, blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Christ beseeches kings, no less than their subjects, to be reconciled
to him, and by him to the Father : since a day is at hand, when
mighty men shall have no distinction, but that of being mightily
tormented. And then will be seen the " blessedness" of those who
" put their trust in" the Lord Jesus. For when the glory of man
shall fade away as the short-lived flower of the field, and when all
that is called great and honourable in princes, shall be laid low in
the dust, he shall give unto his faithful servants a crown without
cares, and a kingdom which cannot be moved.
PSALM in.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is said to have been composed by David, when he fled
from his son Absalom. Thus circumstanced, he expresses himself in terms well
adapted to the parallel case of the Son of David, persecuted by rebellious Israel ; as
also to that of his church, suffering tribulation in the world. 1, 2. He complains,
in much anguish, of the multitude of his enemies, and of the reproaches cast upon
him, as one forsaken by God ; but, 3. declares, notwithstanding, his sure trust in the
divine promises ; 4, 5. he relates the success of his prayers, 6—8. derides the impo-
tent malice of his enemies, and ascribes salvation to Jehovah.
1. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me ! Many are they that rise
up against me.
David is astonished to find, that " the hearts of the men of Israel
^re after Absalom," 2 Sam. xv. 13 ; that his counsellors are revolted,
and his friends falling off continually ; and that the king of Israel
is forced to leave his capital mourning and weeping. Thus, led
forth out of Jerusalem by his own children in arms against him,
the holy Jesus went, forsaken and sorrowing, to the cross, in the day
of trouble. Thus is the church oftentimes opposed and betrayed by
her sons, and the Christian by his passions and affections. So true
it is, that " a man's foes are they of his own household." But he
who by prayer engages the assistance of Jehovah, will rise superior
-to them all.
2. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.
Aflaiction and desertion are two very different things, but often
<Jonfounded by the world. Shimei reviled David, as reprobated by
heaven ; and the language of the Shimeis afterward, concerning the
Son of David was, " He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now,
if he will have him." See 2 Sam. xvi. 8 ; Matt, xxvii. 43. The
fearfiil imaginations of our own desponding hearts, and the sugges-
tions of our crafty adversary, frequently join to help forward this
most dangerous temptation, in the hour of sorrow. What therefore
'hath faith to offer ? We shall hear —
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 43
3. But tJum, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my
head.
Such is the answej of David, and of all the saints, but above all,
of the King of saints, to the temptation before mentioned. Jehovah
is a " shield" against this, and all other fiery darts, shot by Satan
and his associates : he is the " glory" of Christ and the church, with
which they will one day be seen invested, though for a season it ap-
pear not to the world, any more than did the royalty of David, when,
weeping and barefoot, he went up Mount Olivet : 2 Sam. xv. 30.
The same Jehovah is " the lifter up of our heads," by the gift of
holy confidence, and the hope of a resurrection, through that of Je-
sus Christ, prefigured by the triumphant and happy return of David
to Jerusalem.
4. / cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.
David, drive Q from Jerusalem, still looked and prayed towards the
*' holy hill" of Sion. Christ, when a stranger on the earth, " made
supplication, with strong crying," to his Father in heaven. Christ
was heard for his own sake ; David was heard, and we shall be
heard through him.
5. I laid me down and slept ; I awaked, for the hord sustained me.
Behold David, in the midst of danger, sleeping without fear ; se-
cure, through the divine protection, of awaking to engage and van-
quish his enemies. Behold the Son of David composing himself
to his rest upon the cross, that bed of sorrows ; and commending
Hs spirit into his Father's hands, in full confidence of a joyful resur-
rection, according to the promise, at the time appointed. Behold this,
O Christian, and let faith teach thee how to sleep, and how to die ;
while it assures thee, that as sleep is a short death, so death is only
a longer sleep ; and that the same God watches over thee, in thy
bed and in thy grave.
6. / will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves
against me round about.
Faith, revived and invigorated by prayer, and fixed on God alone,
is a stranger to fear, in the worst of times. The innumerable exam-
ples of saints rescued from tribulation, and, above all, the resurrection
of the Son of God from the dead, render the believer bold as a lion,
although the name of his adversary be " Legion."
7. Arise, O Lord ! save me, O my God ! for thou hast smitten all mine ene-
mies upon the cheek-bone ; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
The church, through Christ, prayeth in these words of David,
that Jehovah would arise as of old time, in the power of his might;
that he would finally break the power of Satan and his adherents ;
pluck the spoil out of the jaws of those beasts of prey ; and work
that glorious deliverance for the members, which is already wrought
•for the Head of the body mystical.
44 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
8. Salvation belongeth, or, be ascribed, unto the Lord ; thy blessing is, or,
be upon thy people.
The Psalm ends with an acknowledgment, which ought always
to fill the heart, and, upon every proper occasion, to flow from the
mouth of a Christian ; namely, that " salvation" is not to be had from
man, from the kings of the earth, or the gods of the heathen, from
saints or angels, but from Jehovah alone ; to whom alone, therefore,
the glory should be ascribed. If He will save, none can destroy ; if
He will destroy, none can save. Let Balak, then, curse Israel, or
hire Balaam to curse them for him ; be but " thy blessing," O Lord,,
upon thy people, and it sufiiceth.
PSALM IV.
ARGUMENT. — The person speaking in this Psalm, 1. prayeth to be heard by God ;
2. convinceth the world of sin ; 3. declareth the righteous to be under the divine
protection ; 4, 5. prescribeth solitude and meditation, as the proper means to lead
men to repentance and faith ; 6. showeth that in God alone peace and comfort are to
be found ; and, 7. how superior the joys of the spirit are to those of sense ; 8. reposeth
himself, in full assurance of faith, on the loving-kindness of the Lord.
1. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness ; thou enlarged me
when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
The church, like David, "calls" aloud, as one in great affliction,
for God's assistance : she addresses him as the " God of her righ-
teousness," as the fountain of pardon and grace ; she reminds him
of that spiritual liberty, and "enlargement" from bondage, which he
had pmchassed for her, and oftentimes wrought in her ; and, con-
scious of her demerits, makes her prayer for " mercy."
2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame ? How long
will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing, or falsehood ?
If the Israehtish monarch conceived he had just cause to expostu-
late with his enemies, for despising the royal majesty with which
Jehovah had invested his Anointed ; of how much severer reproof
shall they be thought worthy, who blaspheme the essential "glory"
of King Messiah, which shines forth by his Gospel in the church ?
Thou, O Christ, art everlasting Truth ; all is " vanity and falsehood,"^
transient and fallacious, but the love of thee !
3. But know that the Lord Tiath set apart him that is godly for himself; the
Lord will hear when I call upon him.
Be the opinions or the practices of men what they will, the coun-
sel of the Lord, that shall stand. Is David " set apart" for the king-
dom of Israel ? Saul shall not be able to detain, nor Absalom to
wrest, it from him. Is Messiah ordained to be King of the Israel of
God ? death and hell shall not prevent it. Are his disciples appointed
to reign with him ? infalhbly they shall. Our Intercessor is already
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- W
on high ; and for his sake, " the Lord will hear us when we call
upon him." What, then, can be said for us, if we neglect to call upon
him?
4. Stand in awe, Heb. tremble, and sin not ; commune with your own heart
upon your bed, and be still.
The enemies of Christ, as well as those of David, are here called
to repentance, and the process of conversion is described. The above-
mentioned consideration of the divine counsel, and the certainty of
its being carried into execution, by the salvation of the righteous, and
the confusion of their enemies, makes the wicked " tremble." " The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom :" it arrests the sinner in
his course, and he " sins not ;" he goes no farther in the way of sin,
but stops, and reflects upon what he has been doing : he "communes
with his own heart upon his bed, and is still ;" his conscience suffers
him not to rest in the night, but takes the advantage of solitude and
silence, to set before him his transgressions, with all the terrors of
death and judgment : stirring him up to confess the former, and
deprecate the latter, with unfeigned compunction and sorrow of heart ;
to turn unto the Lord, and to do works meet for repentance; to
learn to do good, as well as to cease from doing evil.
5. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
The Jews are no longer to offer the shadowy sacrifices of their law,
since He, who is the substance of them all, is come into the world.
The Gentiles are no more to offer their idolatrous sacrifices, since
their idols have fallen before the cross. But returning sinners,
whether. Jews or Gentiles, are to offer the same " sacrifices of" evan-
gelical "righteousness;" not "putting their trust" in them, but "in
the Lord " Jesus, through whose spirit they are enabled to offer, and
througli whose blood their offerings are acceptable unto God. Faith,
hope, and charity, mutually strengthen each other, and compose "a
threefold cord," which is not easily broken.
6. There be many that say, Who will show u^ any good 7 Lord, lift thou
up the light of thy countenance upon us !
The two former verses were addressed to rebeUious sinners, inviting
them to repentance and reformation. This seems to relate to the
righteous, who, in times of calamity and persecution, like the friends
of distressed David, are tempted to despond, on seeing no end to
their troubles. The Psalmist therefore prescribes prayer to all such,
as an antidote against the temptation ; he directs them in the darkest
night, to look towards heaven, nor doubt the return of day, when
the rising sun shall diffuse light and salvation, and sorrow and sigh-
ing shall fly away. How many are continually asking the question
in this verse ! How few applying to Him, who alone can give an
answer of peace and comfort !
7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more titan in the time that their axm
and their wine increased.
No sooner is the prayer preferred, but the answer is given ; and
46 A COMMENTARY ON THE psALMS.
the devout soul declares herself to experience a joy in the midst of
tribulation, far superior to the joy with which men rejoice in the
time of harvest, or that of vintage ; a joy, bright and pure, as the
regions from whence it descends. Such is the difference between the
bread of earth, and that of heaven ; between the juice of the grape,
and the cup of salvation. Teach us, O Lord, to discern this differ-
ence, and to choose aright !
8. / will both lay me down in peace, and sleep ; for thou, Lord, only makest
me dwell in safety.
This conclusion affords ample matter for profitable and delightful
meditation, if it be considered, first, as spoken by David, or any other
believer, when lying down to rest, full of the joys of a good con-
science, and faith unfeigned ; secondly, as pronounced by the true
David, when composing himself to his rest, in certain hope of a resur-
rection. And happy the Christian, who having nightly, with this
verse, committed himself to his bed, as to his grave, shall at last, with
the same words, resign himself to his grave, as to his bed, from which
he expects in due time to arise, and sing a morning hymn, with the
children of the resurrection.
PSALM V.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, in affliction, 1 — 3. continues and resolves to continue
instant in prayer ; 4 — 6. declares the irreconcileable hatred which God bears to sin,
and, 7. his own confidence of being accepted ; 8. he petitions for grace to direct and
preserve him in the way ; 9. sets forth the wickedness of his enemies ; 10. foretels
their punishment, and, 11, 12. the salvation of the faithful.
1. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation, or, my dove-like
mournings.
Although nothing can really hinder or divert the divine attention,
yet God is represented as " not hearing" when either the person is
unacceptable, or the petition improper, or when he would thoroughly
prove the faith and patience of the petitioner. Christ, the church,
and the believing soul, are all in Scripture styled " doves," from their
possessing the amiable properties of that bird of meekness and inno-
cence, purity and love. "The mournings" of such are always heard
and attended to in heaven.
2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God : for unto thee
will I cry.
The voice of the suppliant's cry will be in proportion to the sense
which he hath of his sin. Whom should a subject sohcit, but his
king ! to whom should a sinner pray, but to his God ? Let us often
think upon the strong cryings of him who suffered for the sins of the
world, and upon that intercession by which the pardon of those sins
was procured.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 47
3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord ; in the morning will
I direct my prayer, Heb. dispose, or set myself in order, unto or for thee, and
will look up.
He who is good in earnest, and hath his heart fully bent upon the
work of salvation, like other skilful and diligent artificers, will be
" early" in his application to it ; he will get the start of the world,
and take the advantage of the " sweet hour of prime," to " dispose,"
and " set himself in order," for the day. What is a slothful sinner
to think of himself, when he reads, concerning the holy Jesus, that
" in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out
and departed into a sohtary place, and there prayed !" Mark i. 35.
4. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness ; neither shall
evil dwell with thee.
The Psalmist was encouraged to make his early prayers to God in
the day of trouble, upon this consideration, that his righteous cause
must finally prosper, and the divine counsels be accomplished in his
exaltation, and the depression of his enemies, who were likewise the
enemies oif God. The same was the case and the confidence of a
suffering Messiah ; and such is that of his church and people in the
world, where " wickedness" may prosper, and " evil" not only live,
but reign. Nevertheless, we know that " God hath no pleasure" ia
them, nor shall they " dwell with him," as we hope to do.
5. The foolish, Heb. Tnad, shall not stand in thy sight ; for thou hatest all
workers of iniquity. 6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing, or false-
hood ; the Lord doth abhor the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.
No objects of the senses can be so nauseous to them, as the vari-
ous kinds of sin are in the sight of God. O could we but think,
as he does, concerning these, we should rather choose " madness"
than transgression, and as soon fall in love with a plague-sore, as a
temptation. " Falsehood, blood-thirstiness, and deceitfulness," are
marked out as characteristical of the enemies of David, of Christ,
and the church ; and history evinces them so to have been. Let us
never go within the infection of such pestilential crimes.
7. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy;
and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple.
Wisdom, righteousness, truth, mercy, and sincerity, form a cha-
racter the reverse of that drawn in the preceding verses, and such a
one as God will accept, when appearing before him in his house, and
offering, wnth humility and reverence, the sacrifices of the new law,
as David did those of the old, through faith in Him who alone filled
up the character, and procured acceptance for beUevers and their ob-
lations.
8. Lead me O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies ; make
thy way straight before my face.
The child of God, admitted into his holy temple, there prefers this
petition, praying to be led by the divine Spirit in a course of holy
obedience, all impediments being removed out of the way, which
48 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Otherwise might obstruct the progress, or cause the fall, of one begin-
ning to walk in the path of hfe, of one who had many " enemies "
ready to contrive, to take advantage of, to rejoice and triumph in,
his ruin. Thus a man's enemies, while they oblige him to pray
more fervently, and to watch more narrowly over his conduct, often-
times become his best friends.
9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth ; their inward part is very
wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they fatter with their tongue,
A part of this verse is cited, Rom. iii. 13, together with several
other passages from the Psalms and Prophets, to evince the depravity
of mankind, whether Jews, or Gentiles, till justified by faith, and
renewed by grace. It is plain, therefore, that the description was
designed for others, besides the enemies of the literal David, and is
of more general import, reaching to the world of the ungodly, and
to the enemies of all righteousness, as manifested in the person of
Messiah, and in his church. The charge brought against these is,
that "truth" and "fidelity" were not to be found in their dealings
with God or each other ; that their " inward parts" were very
wickedness ; their first thoughts and imaginations were defiled, and
the stream was poisoned at the fountain ; that their " throat was an
open sepulchre," continually emitting in obscene and impious lan-
guage, the noisome and infectious exhalations of a putrid heart, en-
tombed in a body of sin : and that, if ever they put on the appear-
ance of goodness, they " flattered with their tongue," in order the
more effectually to deceive and destroy. So low is human nature
fallen ! " O thou Adam, what hast thou done? For though it was
thou that sinned, thou art not fallen alone, but we all that come of
thee." 2 Esd. vii. 48.
10. Destroy thou them., O God; let them fall by their own counsels: cast them
out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against
thee.
Concerning passages of this imprecatory kind in the book of
Psalms, it is to be observed, that they are not spoken of private and
personal enemies, but of the opposers of God and his anointed ; nor
of any among these, but the irreclaimable and finally impenitent ;
and this by way of prediction, rather than imprecation ; which
w^ould appear, if the original verbs were translated uniformly in the
future tense, as they might be, and indeed, to cut off" all occasion
from them which desire it, should be translated. The verse before
us would then run thus : — " Thou wilt destroy them, O God ; they
shall perish by their own counsels : thou wilt cast them out in the
multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against thee."
The words, when rendered in this form, contain a prophecy of the
infatuation, rejection, and destruction of such as should obstinately
persevere in their opposition to the counsels of heaven, whether re-
lating to David, to Christ, or to the church. The fate of Ahithopel
and Absalom, of Judas and the Jews, should warn others not to
otfend after the same example.
. A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 49
11. Bvi let all those that trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout far joy,
'hecause thou defend est them : let them also that love thy name he joyful in thee,
Heb. All they that trust in thee shall rejoice^ ^c.
As the last verse foretold the perdition of the ungodly, this describes
the felicity of the saints ; who, trusting in God, rejoice evermore,
.and sing aloud in the church the praises of their Saviour, and mighty
defender ; the love of whose name fills their hearts with joy unspeak-
able, while they experience the comforts of grace, and expect the re-
wards of glory.
12. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous ; with favour wilt thou compass
him 05 with a shield.
The "blessing" of God descends upon us through Jesus Christ
-^'the righteous," or "just one," as of old it did upon Israel through
David, whom, for the benefit of his chosen, God protected, delivered,
•and placed upon the throne. Thou, O Christ, art the righteous
Saviour, thou art the King of Israel, thou art the blessed of Jehovah,
the fountain of blessing to all believers, and thy "favour" is the de-
*fence and protection to the church miUtant.
FIRST DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM VI.
ARGUMENT. — This is the first of those Psalms which are styled penitential. It con-
tains, 1. a deprecation of eternal vengeance, and 2, 3. a petition for pardon ; which
is enforced from the consideration of the penitent's sufferings; 4. from that of the
divine mercy ; 5. from that of the praise and glory which God would fail to receive,
if man were destroyed ; 6, 7. from that of the penitent's humiliation and contrition :
8 — 10. the strain changes into one of joy and triumph, upon the success and return
of the prayer.
1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot dis-
pleasure.
Let us suppose a sinner awakened to a true sense of his condition,
and looking around him for help. Above is an angry God prepar-
ing to take vengeance ; beneath, the fiery gulf ready to receive him ;
without him, a world in flames ; within, the gnawing worm. Thus
situated, he begins, in extreme agony of spirit, " O Lord, rebuke me
not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure." He
expects that God will " rebuke" him, but only prays that it may not
be " in anger " finally to destroy him ; he desires to be chastened,
but chastened in fatherly love, not in the " hot displeasure" of an
inexorable judge. As often as we are led thus to express our sense
of sin, and dread of punishment, let us reflect on Him, whose righ-
teous soul, endued with a sensibility peculiar to itself, sustained the
sins of the world, and the displeasure of the Father.
2. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak : O Lord, heal me ; for
my bones are vexed, Heb. shaken, or, made to tremble.
The penitent entreats for mercy, first, by representing his pitiable
7
60 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
case, under the image of sickness. He describes his soul as deprived
of all its health and vigour, as languishing and fainting, by reason
of sin, which had eat out the vitals, and shaken all the powers and
supporters of the spiritual frame, so that the breath of life seemed to
be departing. Enough, however, was left, to supplicate the healing
aid of the God of mercy and comfort ; to petition for oil and wine
at the hands of the Physician of spirits. How happy is it for us,
that we have a physician, who cannot but be touched with a feeling
of our infirmities, seeing that he himself once took them upon him,
and suffered for them, even unto the death of the cross, under which
lie " fainted," and on which " his bones were vexed !"
3. My sold is also sore vexed ; but thou, O Lord, how long 7
Another argument is drawn from the sense which the penitent
hath of this his woful condition, and the consternation and anxiety
produced thereby in his troubled mind. These cause him to fly for
refuge to the hope set before him. " Hope deferred maketh the
heart sick ;" he is therefore beautifully represented as crying out,
with a fond and longing impatience, "But thou, O Lord, how long?"
His strength is supposed to fail him, and the sentence is left imper-
fect. What, blessed Jesus, were thy " troubles," when to thy com-
panions thou saidst, " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto
death ?" By those thy sorrows we beseech thee to hear the voice
of thine afflicted church, crying to thee from the earth, " My soul
also is sore troubled ; but thou, O Lord, how long ?"
4. Return, O Lord, deliver my soul ; Oh, save me for thy mercies^ sake.
A third argument is formed upon the consideration of God's
" mercy ;" for the sake of which, as it is promised to penitents, he is
requested to "return," or to turn himself towards the suppliant ; to
lift up his countenance on the desponding heart ; to " deUver," it
from darkness and the shadow of death, and to diffuse around it
light and life, salvation, joy, and gladness, like the sun in the morn-
ing, when he revisits a benighted world, and calls up the creation to
bless the Maker of so glorious a luminary, so bright a representative
of redeeming love.
5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee ; in the grave who shall
give thee thanks ?
The fourth argument proceeds upon a supposition, that God
created man for his own glory, which therefore, would be so far
diminished, if man were permitted finally to perish. The body
could not glorify God, unless raised from the dead, nor could the
soul, if left in hell. The voice of thanksgiving is not heard in the
grave, and no hallelujahs are sung in the pit of destruction. This
plea, now urged by the church, was urged for her without all doubt
hj her Saviour in his devotions, and prevailed in his mouth, as,
through him, it will do in hers.
6. I am weary with my groaning ; all the night make I my bed to swim:
J water my couch with my tears.
The penitent is supplied with a fifth argument, by the signs and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. M
fruits of a sincere repentance, which put forth themselves in him.
Such was his sorrow, and such revenge did he take upon himself,
that for every idle word he now poured forth a groan, Uife him that
is in anguish through extremity of bodily pain, until he was "weary,"
but yet continued groaning ; while the sad remembrance of each
wanton folly drew a tear from the fountains of grief The all-righ-
teous Saviour himself wept over sinners ; sinners read the story, and
yet return again to their sins !
7. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all
mine enemies.
Grief exhausts the animal spirits, dims the eyes, and brings on old
age before its time. Thus it is said, concerning the man of sorrows,
that '' many were astonished at him, his visage was so marred more
than any man, and his form more than the sons of men :" Isa. hi. 14.
How long, in these times, might youth and beauty last, were godly
sorrow their only enemy !
8. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity, for the Lord hath heard the
voice of my weeping.
9. 7%e Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will hear, or, hath
heard, my prayer.
Repentance, having performed her task, having taught her votary
to forsake sin, and to renounce all communication with sinners, now
gives place to faith, which appears with the glad tidings of pardon
and acceptance, causing the penitent to rejoice in God his Saviour,
with joy unspeakable ; and inspiring his heart with vigour and
resolution to run his course in the way of righteousness. Risen to
newness of life, he defies the maUce, and predicts the finaf overthrow,
of his spiritual adversaries.
0. Let all mine enemies, or, all mine enemies shall, be ashamed, and sore
vexed : let them, or, they shall return, and be ashamed suddenly.
Many of the mournful Psalms end in this manner, to instruct the
believer, that he is continually to look forward, and solace himself
with beholding that day, when his warfare shall be accomplished,
when sin and sorrow shall be no more ; when sudden and everlasting
confusion shall cover the enemies of righteousness ; when the sack-
cloth of the penitent shall be exchanged for a robe of glory, and
every tear become a sparkling gem in his crown ; when to sighs and
groans shall succeed the songs of heaven, set to angelic harps, and
faith shall be resolved into the vision of the Almighty.
PSALM VIL
AKGUMENT. — David is said to have composed this Psalm concerning the words, or
the matter, of Cush the Benjamite. Whether Saul, or Shimei, or any one else, be
intended under this name, it is sufficiently clear, that David had been maliciously
aspersed and calumniated by such a person ; that the Psalm was written to vindicate
himself from the imputation, whatever was the nature of it ; and, consequently, may
be considered as the appeal of the true David and his disciples, against the grand
52 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Accuser and his associates. The person speaking, 1, 2. declares his trust to be in
God ; 3 — 5. protests his innocence ; 6 — 8. desires that judgment may be given in the
cause ; 9, 10. prays for the abolition of sin, and the full establishment of righteousnetg ;
11 — 13. sets forth the divine judgments against sinners ; 14 — 16. describes the begin-
ning, progress, and end, of sin, with, 17. the joy and triumph of the faithful.
1. OLord my God, in thee do I put my trust; save me from all them that
persecute me, and deliver me :
To a tender and ingenuous spirit, the "persecution" of the tongue
is worse than that of the sword, and with more difficulty submitted
to ; as indeed a good name is more precious than bodily Hfe. Be-
lievers in every age have been persecuted in this way ; and the King
of saints often mentions it as one of the bitterest ingredients in his
cup of sorrows. Faith and prayer are the arms with which this
formidable temptation must be encountered, and may be overcome.
The former assures us, that God can "save and dehver" us from it;
the latter induces him so to do.
2. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieees, while there is none
to deliver.
The "lion" of whom David stood in fear, was probably Saul,
roused, by a false accusation, to destroy him. The rage of tyrants
is often in the same manner excited against the church. And we
all have reason to dread the fury of one who is " the roaring lion,"
as well as the " accuser of the brethren." From him none can de-
liver us, but God only.
3. O Lord my God, if T have done this ; if there be iniquity in my hands;
David makes a solemn appeal to God, the searcher of all hearts,
to judge of4iis innocence, with regard to the particular crime laid
to his charge. Any person, when slandered, may do the same. But
Christ only could call upon Heaven to attest his universal upright-
ness. In his " hands" there was "no iniquity ;" all his works were
wrought in peifect righteousness ; and when the prince of this world
came to try and explore him, he found nothing whereof justly to
accuse him. The vessel was thoroughly shaken, but the liquor in
it continued pure.
4. If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me: yea, I have
delivered him that without cause is mine enemy :
David probably alludes to the life of Saul, which was twice pre-
served by him, when he had been pressed by his attendants to em-
brace the opportunity of taking it away. See 1 Sam. xxiv. xxvi. Of
the Son of David, St. Paul says, " In this he commended his love
to us, that when we were sinners, he died for us :" Rom. v. 8. In
so exalted a sense did he " deliver him that without cause was his
enemy." Wretched they who persecute their benefactor ; happy he
who can reflect, that he has been a benefactor to his persecutors.
5. Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it ; yea, let him tread down my
life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust.
These are the evils which David imprecates on himself, if he
Were such as his adversaries represented him ; persecution, appre-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 53
hension, death, and disgrace. Christ, for our sakes, submitting to
the imputation of guilt, suffered all these ; buf, being innocent in
himself, he triumphed over them all ; he was raised and released,
glorified and adored ; he pursued and overtook his enemies, he con-
,quered the conquerors, and trampled them under his feet ; and he
enableth us, through grace, to do the same.
6. Arise^ O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine
enemies; and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
To a protestation of innocence succeeds a prayer for judgment
upon the case, which is formed on these two considerations ; first,
the unreasonable and unrelenting fury of the persecutors ; secondly,
the justice which God has "commanded" others to execute, and
which therefore he himself will doubtless execute upon such occa-
sions. How did he " awake," and " arise," and " lift up himself to
judgment" on the behalf of his Anointed, in the day of the resurrec-
tion of Jesus, and the subsequent confusion of his enemies ! And
let injured innocence ever comfort itself w4th the remembrance of
another day to come, when every earth-born cloud being removed,
it shall dazzle its oppressors with a lustre far superior to that of the
noon-day sun.
7. So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about :for their sakes
therefore return thou on high.
The meaning is that a visible display of God's righteous judg-
ment would induce multitudes who should behold, or hear of it, to
adore and glorify him. For their sakes, therefore, as well as that
of the sufferer, he is entreated to re-ascend the tribunal as formerly,
and pronounce the wished-for sentence. Thus the determination
of the cause between Jesus and his adversaries, by his resurrection,
and "return on high," brought "the congregation of the nations"
around him, and affected the conversion of the world. Nor, in hu-
man affairs, does any thing more advance the reputation of a peo^
pie among their neighbours, than an equitable sentence in the mouth
of him who sitteth in judgment.
8. The Liord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my
righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
Conscious of his " righteousness " and " integrity," as to the mat-
ter in question, David desires to be judged by him who is to judge
the world at the last day. How few, among Christians, have seri-
ously and deliberately considered, whether the sentence of that day is
likely to be in their favour ! Yet, how many, with the utmost compo-
sure and self-complacency, repeat continually the words of this Psalm
as well as those in the Te Deum, " We believe that thou shalt
come to be our judge !" Legal, or perfect righteousness and integ-
rity, are peculiar to the Redeemer ; but evangelical righteousness and
integrity, all must have, who would be saved.
9. Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the
just : or, the wickedness of the wicked shall, &c. : for the righteous God trieth
54 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the hearts and reins. 10. My defence is of God, who saveth the upright in
heart.
It is predicted, that wickedness will, in the end, be abolished, and
the just immoveably estabhshed, by him who knoweth intimately
the very thoughts and desires of both good and bad men, and will,
give to each their due reward. How can we doubt of this, when it
has pleased God to afford so many examples and preludes to it, in
his dispensations of old time ? The righteous cause hath already
triumphed in Christ : let us not doubt, but that it will do so in the
church. Happy the man, whose hope is therefore in God, because
" he saveth the upright in heart."
11. God jvdgeth the righteous^ and God is angry with the wicked every
day.
The sense seems to be, that there are daily instances in the world
of God's favour towards his people ; as also of his displeasure against
the ungodly, who are frequently visited by sore judgments, and
taken away in their sins. In this light we should consider and re-
gard all history, whether that of our own age and nation, or of any
other.
12. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made
it ready. 13. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death ; he
ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
The sinner who is not converted by the vengeance inflicted on
others, will himself at length be made an example of. The wrath
of God may be slow, but it is always sure. In thoughtless security
man wantons and whiles away the precious hours : he knows not
that every transgression sets a fresh edge on the sword, which is
thus continually whetting for his destruction ; nor considers, that he
is the mark of an archer who never errs, and who, at this very in-
stant, perhaps, has fitted to the string that arrow which is to pierce
his soul with everlasting anguish.
14. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and
brought forth falsehood.
This is not to be understood as if "travail" were previous to
" conception." The first is jx general expression, " Behold, he
travaileth with iniquity :" the latter part of the verse is more par-
ticular ; as if it had been said, " and having conceived mischief,"
he " bringeth forth falsehood." When an evil thought is instilled
into the heart of a man, then the seed of the wicked one is sown ;
by admitting, retaining, and cherishing the diabolical suggestion in
his mind, he "conceiveth" a purpose of "mischief;" when that
purpose is gradually formed and matured for the birth, he " travaileth
with iniquity ;" at length, by carrying it into action, he " bringeth
forth falsehood." The purity of the soul, like that of the body, from
whence the image is borrowed, must be preserved by keeping out
of the way of temptation.
15. He vnade a pit, and digged ity and is fallen into the ditch which he
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 65
anode. 16. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent deal'
ing shall come down upon his own pate.
All the world agrees to acknowledge the equity of that sentence
which inflicts upon the guilty the punishment intended by them for
the innocent. No one pities the fate of a man buried in that pit
which he had dug to receive his neighbour ; or of him who owes
his ^ death- wound to the return of an arrow shot against heaven.
Saul was overthrown by those Philistines whom he would have
made the instruments of cutting oflf David. Haman was hanged
on his own gallows. The Jews, who excited the Romans to crucify
Christ, were themselves, by the Romans, crucified in crowds.
Striking instances these of the vengeance to be one day executed
on all tempters and persecutors of others ; when men and angels
shall lift up their voices, and cry out together, " Righteous art thou,
O Lord, and just are thy judgments."
17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness ; and will sing
^aise to the name of the Lord most high.
Whatever doubts may at present arise concerning the ways of
God, let us rest assured that they will all receive a solution ; and
that the " righteousness" of the great Judge, manifested in his final
determinations, will be the subject of everlasting hallelujahs.
PSALM VIIL I
ARGUMENT. — ^This is the first of those Psalms which the Church has appointed to
be read on Ascension-day. It treats, as appears from Heb. ii. 6, &c. of the wonder-
ful love of God, shown by the exaltation of our nature in Messiah, or the second
Adam, to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and by the subjection of all crea-
tures to the word of his power.
1. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth ! who hast
^et thy glory above the heavens.
The Prophet beholds in spirit the sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow : like St. Stephen afterward, he sees heaven
opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God ; the sight
fills his heart with wonder, love, and devotion, which break forth ia
this address to " Jehovah," as " our Lord ;" for such he is by the
twofold right of creation and redemption, having made us, and pur-
chased us. On both accounts, " how excellent," how full of beauty
and honour, is his name, diffused by the gospel through " all the
earth !" But more especially do men and angels admire and adore
him for the exaltation of his " glory," the glory of the only begotten,
high "above the heavens," and all created nature, to the throne pre-
pared for him before the foundation of the world.
2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained, Heb.
founded, or constituted strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightest
. still the enemy and the avenger.
This verse is cited by our Lord, Matt. xxi. 16, and applied to
B6 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
"little children in the temple, crying, Hosanna to the Son of David !'''
which vexed and confounded his malignant adversaries. The im-
port of the words, therefore, plainly is, that the praises of Messiah,
celebrated in the church by his children, have in them a strength
and power which nothing can withstand ; they can abash infidehty,
when at its greatest height, and strike hell itself dumb. In the cita-
tion made by our Lord, which the Evangelist gives from the Greek
of the LXX., we read "thou has perfected praise," which seemg
to be rather a paraphrase than a translation of the Hebrew, literally
rendered by our translators, " thou hast ordained strength."
3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the -
stars, which thou hast ordained ; 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of
Mm 7 and the son of man, that thou visitest him-
At the time of inditing this Psalm, David is evidently supposed
to have had before his eyes the heavens as they appear by night.
He is struck with the awful magnificence of wide-extended fir-
mament, adorned by the moon walking in brightness, and ren-
dered brilliant by the vivid lustre of a multitude of shining orbs,
differing from each other in magnitude and splendour. And when,
from surveying the beauty of heaven, with its glorious show, he
turns to take a view of the creature man, he is still more affected by
the mercy, than he had before been by the majesty, of the Lord ;
since far less wonderful it is, that God should make such a world as
this, than that He, who made such a world as this, should be
"mindful of man," in his fallen estate, and should "visit" human
nature with his salvation.
5. Fo7' thou hast Tnade him a little, or for a little while, lower than the an-
gels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6, Thou madest him to
have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things under his
feet.
On these two verses, with that preceding, St. Paul has left the fol-.
lowing comment : " One in a certain place testifieth, saying. What
is man, that thou art mindful of him ? or the son of man, that thou
visitest him 1 Thou madest him a little lower than [marg. a little
while inferior to] the angels ; thou crownedst him with glory and
honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands : thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all
in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.
But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honour." Heb. ii. 6, &c. See
also 1 Cor. xv. 27.
7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8. The fowl of the
air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the
sea.
Adam upon his creation was invested with sovereign dominiori
over the creatures, in words of the same import with these. Gen. i. 28 ;
which are Jherefore here used, and the creatures particularised, ta
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 57
inform us, that what the first Adam lost by transgression, the second
Adam regained by obedience. That " glory" which was " set above
the heavens," could not but be over all things on " the earth." And
accordingly, we hear our Lord saying, after his resurrection, " AU
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth ;" Matt, xxviii. 18.
Nor is it a speculation unpleasing, or unprofitable, to consider, that
he who rules over the material world, is Lord also of the intellectual,
or spiritual creation, represented thereby. The souls of the faithful,
lowly and harmless, are the sheep of his pasture ; those who, like
oxen, are strong to labour in the church, and who, by expounding
the word of life, tread out the corn for the nourishment of the people,
own him for their kind and beneficient Master ; nUy, tempers fierce
and untractable as the wild beasts of the desert, are yet subject to.
his will ; spirits of the angelic kind, that, like the bird of the air, tra-
verse freely the superior region, move at his command ! and those
evil ones, whose habitation is in the deep abyss, even to the great
Leviathan himself; all, all, are put under the feet of King Messiah ;
who, " because he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross, was tlierefore highly exalted, and had a
name given him above every ^piie, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, whether of things in heaven, or things on earth,
or things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the father. Phil. ii. 8, <fec.
9. O Lord, our Liord, how excellent is thij name in all the earth!
Let therefore the universal chorus of men and angels join their
voices together, and make their sound to be heard as one, in honour
of the Redeemer, evermore praising him, and saying, O Lord, our
Lord Jesus Christ, King of Righteousness, Peace, and Glory, King of
kings, and Lord of lords, how excellent, how precious, how lovely,
how great and glorious is thy Name, diffused over all the earth, for
the salvation of thy chosen ! Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,,
ifor ever and ever. And let heaven and earth say, Amen.
SECOND DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM IX.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm consists of two parts, a thanksgiving, 1 — 12. and a prayerj
13 — 20. Upon what particular occasion it was composed, is^ot known ; probably to
celebrate the victories gained by David over the neighbouring nations, after God had
exalted him to be King in Sion. See ver. 11. But most certainly the Psalm was in-
tended for the use of the Christian Church ; and she continually, by using it, 1, 2.
declares her resolution to celebrate the praises of her God ; since, 3, 4. her enemies
were vanquished, and her cause was carried ; 5, 6. the empire of Satan was subverted,
and 7, 8. the kingdom of Christ established : 9, 10. affording to believers refuge and
salvation. For all these blessings, 11. Christians are excited to praise their Redeemer,
who, 12. forgets nothing that is done or suffered for his sake. 13, 14. The Church
petitions for final deliverance from the world, and the evil thereof; 15, 16. building
58 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
her hope upon the mercies already received, 17, 18. she foretels the destruction of
the wicked ; and, 19, 20. prays for the manifestation of God.
1. I will praise thee, O Lordj.iciYA my whole heart; I will show forth aU
thy marvellous works.
In this animated and exalted hymn, the church begins with de-
claring her resolution to "praise Jehovah," as the author of her
salvation ; and that, neither coldly, as if the salvation were little
worth ; nor partially, reserving a share of the glory of it to herself ;
but with the " whole heart," with an affection pure and flaming, hke
the holy fire upon the altar. She is determined to "show forth" to
the world, for its conviction and conversion, " all his marvellous works,"
the most "marvellous" of which are those wrought for, and in, the
souls of men. Outward miracles strike more forcibly upon the
senses ; but they are introductory only to- those internal operations
which they are intended to represent.
2. I will be glad and rejoice in thee ; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou
mast High.
Christians are taught to be " glad and rejoice," not in abundance
of wealth, or plenitude of power, n^in the pleasures of sense, or
the praise of men, but in God their Saviour ; and their joy is as far
superior to the joy of the worldly, as the object of the one is to that
of the other. He who, with the spirit and the understanding, as
well as with the voice, " sings praise to thy name, O most High,"
is employed as the angels are, and experiences a foretaste of the de-
light they feel.
3. When mine enemies are driven back, they shall fall, or, they stumble or
fall, and perish at thy presence.
The church begins to explain the subject of her joy, which is a
victory over her " enemies ;" a victory not gained by herself, but by
the " presence of God" in the midst of her. The grand enemy of
our salvation was first vanquished by Christ in the wilderness, and
" driven back," with the words " Get thee behind me, Satan." The
same blessed person afterwards completely triumphed over him upon
the cross, when " the prince of this world was cast out." This is
that great victory, which we celebteite in psalms, and hymns, and
spiritual songs, from generation to generation ; and through faith in
him who achieved it, we Ukewise are enabled to fight and to over-
come.
4. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause ; thou sattest in the
throne judging right.
The same important transaction is here described in forerisic, as
before it was in military terms. Satan having got possession of
mankind, might have pleaded his right to keep it, since by trans-
gression they had left God, and sold themselves to him. But
Christ, as the church's representative and advocate, made the satis-
faction required, paid down the price of redemption, " took the prey
fi-om the mighty, and delivered the lawful captive :" Isa. xlix. 24
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 9^
Thus was our " right and our cause maintained ;" thus we were
rescued from the oppressor, and he who " sat on the throne judged
righteous judgment." Something of this sort may be supposed to
pass, concerning each individual, between the Accuser of the brethren
and the eternal Intercessor, in the court of heaven.
5. T^hou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the toicked, thou hast
put out their name for ever and ever.
To the victory of Christ succeeded the overthrow of Satan's em-
pire in the pagan world. " The heathen were rebuked," when,
through the power of the Spirit, in those who preached the Gospel,
men were convinced of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment ;
" the wicked were destroyed, and their name put out for ever," when
the Roman power became Christian, and the ancient idolatry sunk,
to rise no more. A day is coming when all iniquity shall perish and
be forgotten in like manner.
6. O tJwu enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end, or, TTie destruc-
tions of. the enemy are completed to the utmost : and thou, O God, hast de-
stroyed their cities, their memorial is perished with them .'*
The Christian church, when repeating these words, may be sup-
posed to take a retrospective view of the successive fall of those em-
pires with their capital "cities," in which the " enemy " had from
time to time fixed his residence, and which had vexed and persecuted
the people of God in different ages. Such were the Assyrian, or
Babylonian, the Persian and the Grecian monarchies. AH these
vanished away, and came to nothing. Nay, the very "memorial"
of the stupendous Nineveh and Babylon is so " perished with them,"
that the place where they once stood is now no more to be found.
The Roman empire was the last of the pagan persecuting powers ;
and when the church saw "that" under her feet, well might she cry
out, " The destructions of the enemy are completed to the utmost !'*
How lovely will this' song be, in the day when the last enemy shall
be destroyed, and the world itself shall become what Babylon is at
present ! Next to the glory and triumph of that day, is the jubilee
which the Christian celebrates, upon his conquest over the body of sin.
7. But the 'Lord shall endure for ever; he hath prepared his throne for
judgment. 8. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister
judgment to the people in uprightness. ••
In opposition to the transcient nature of earthly kingdoms, the
eternal duration of Messiah's kingdom is asserted ; as also its uni-
versality, extending over the whole " world ;" together with the con-
summate rectitude of its administration. To him, as supreme judge
in an unerring court of equity, lies an appeal from the unjust deter-
minations here below : and by him in person shall every cause be re-
heard, when that court shall sit, and all nations shall be summoned
to appear before it.
* Bishop Lowth renders this verse to the same effect. ** Desolations have consumed
the enemy for ever ; and as to the cities which thou, O God, hast destroyed, their
memory is perished with them." See Merrick's Annotations on the Psahns, p. 9.
60 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
9. The Lord also will he a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of
trouble.
In the mean time, and until he returneth to judgment, the poor in
spirit, the meek and lowly penitent, however " oppressed in times of
trouble," by worldly and ungodly men, and by the frequent assaults
of the wicked one, still finds a refuge in Jesus ; who renews his
strength by fresh supplies of grace, arms him with faith and patience,
and animates him with the hope of glory.
10. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee; for thou, Lord^
hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Therefore, they who " know God's name," that is, who are ac-
quainted with, and have experienced, his merciful nature and dispo-
sition, expressed in that name, will take no unlawful methods to es-
cape affliction, nor "put their trust" in any but "him," for deliver-
ance : since a most undoubted truth (and, O what a comfortable
truth!) it is, that "thou, Lord Jesus, hast not forsaken," nor ever
wilt finally " forsake, them that," sincerely and diligently, with their
whole heart, "seek" to "thee" for help; as a child, upon apprehen-
sion of danger, flies to the arms of its tender and indulgent parent.
11. Sing praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the
people his doings.
The church, having celebrated the power and the goodness of her
Lord, exhorteth all her children to lift up their voices, and sing to-
gether, in full chorus, the praises of him whose tabernacle is in " Zion,"
who resides with men, upon the mountain of his holiness, and saith,
*' Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the world." And
thus, not only "among the people," but also to principahties and
powers in heavenly places, will be "declared" and made known by
the voice of thanksgiving in the church, the manifold wisdom and
mercy of God, in his "doings" towards man. See Ephes. iii. 10.
12. When he maketh inquisition for bloodj he remembereth them, and for-
getteth not the cry of the humble.
An objection might be started to the so much extoUed loving-kind-
ness of God, namely, that in this world his faithful people are often
aflflicted and persecuted ; nay, sometimes suffered to be killed all the
day long, as sheep appointed to the slaughter. But this is obviated
by the consideration, that all is not over, as wicked men may suppose,
at death : that a strict " inquisition " will be appointed hereafter, when
the " blood " of martyrs and the suflferings of confessors shall not be
" forgotten." He remembereth " them," that is, those who seek him,
mentioned verse 10 ; so that the exhortation to " sing praises," See.
ver 11, seems parenthetic.
13. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, consider the trouble which I suffer of
them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.
We are now come to the second part of the Psalm. The church,
after having, in the former part, strengthened her faith by commemo-
ration of the mighty works God had wrought for her, proceeds, in this,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- * 61
to pour forth a prayer for farther and final deliverance. She speakg,
as still militant upon earth, still in an enemy's country, surrounded
by them that hate her, and suffering much from them. To whom
therefore should she address herself, but to him whose high prerog-
ative it is, literally to " raise from the gates of death ;" to him who
is, in every possible sense, " the resurrection and the hfe ?"
14. TTiat I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of
Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
The members of the church militant despair of being able to " show
forth all God's praise," till they become members of the church trium-
phant. There is a beautiful contrast between " the gates of death in
the preceding verse, and " the gates of the daughter of Zion," or the
heavenly Jerusalem, in this : the one leads down to the pit, the other
up to the mount of God ; the one opens into perpetual darkness, the
other into light eternal ; from the one proceeds nothing but what ia
evil, from the other nothing but what is good ; infernal spirits watch
at the one, the other are unbarred by the hands of angels. What a
blessing then is it, to be snatched from the former, and transported to
the latter ! Who but must " rejoice" in such "salvation?"
15. The heathen are sunk, or sink, down in the pit that they made; in the
net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16. The Lord is known by the
judgment which he executeth ; the wicked is snared in the work of his own
hands.
Faith beholds, as already executed, that righteous judgment,
whereby wicked men and evil spirits will fall into the perdition which
they had prepared for others, either openly by persecution, or more
covertly by temptation. See Ps. vii. 15, 16.
17. The wicked shall he turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God,
All wickedness came originally with the wicked one from hell ;
thither it will be again remitted, and they who hold on its side must
accompany it on its return to that place of torment, there to be shut
up for ever. The true state both of " nations," and the individuals
of which they are composed, is to be estimated from one single cir-
cumstance, namely, whether in their doings they remember or " forget
God." Remembrance of Him is the well-spring of virtue ; forgetful-
ness of Him, the fountain of vice.
18. For the needy shall not always he forgotten ; the expectation of the poor
shall not perish for ever.
They who remember God shall infallibly be remembered by Him ;
and let this be their anchor, in the most tempestuous seasons. The
body of a martyr is buried in the earth ; and so is the root of the
fairest flower ; but neither of them " perisheth for ever." Let but the
winter pass and the spring return, and, lo, the faded and withered
flower blooms ; the body sown in corruption, dishonour, and weak-
ness, rises in incorruption, glory, and power.
62 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
19. Arise, O Lord, let not men prevail; let the heathen he judged in thy^
sight.
And now, the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; Arise, O Lord
Jesus, from thy throne of glory, and come quickly; "let not" the
" man" of sin " prevail" against thy church ; but let the long-depend-
ing cause between her and her adversaries, "be judged" and finally
determined " in thy sight."
20. Put them in fear, O Lord j that the nations may know themselves to be
but men.
Strange, that man, dust in his original, sinful by his fall, and con-
tinually reminded of both by every thing in him and about him^
should yet stand iri need of some sharp affliction, some severe visita-
tion from God, to bring him to the knowledge of himself, and make
him feel, who, and what he is. But this is frequently the case ; and
when it is, as there are wounds which cannot be healed without a
previous application of caustics, mercy is necessitated to begin her
work with an infliction of judgment.
PSALM X.
ARGUMENT.— This Psalm is, in the LXX., joined to the preceding, hut, in the He-
brew, divided from it. The church, under persecution from the spirit of antichrist in
the world, after, 1. an humble expostulation with her Lord, setteth down the marks
whereby that spirit may be known ; such as, 2. hatred of the faithful ; 3. seif-willed-
ness and worldly-mindedness ; 4. infidelity ; 5, 6. profligacy and pride ; 7. profaneness
and perjury ; 8 — 10. subtilty and treachery employed against the people of God ; !!►
eecurity and presumtion. From the persecutions of such a spirit the church, 12 — 15.
prayeth earnestly to be delivered ; and, 16 — 18. through faith, rejoiceth in tribula-
tion.
1. Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times^
of trouble ?
During the conflict between the church and her adversaries, God
is represented as one withdrawing to a distance, instead of aflfording
succour ; nay, as one conceahng himself, so as not to be found by
those who petitioned for aid, or counsel. To behold the righteous
cause oppressed, and good men seemingly deserted by heaven, at a
time when they most need its assistance, is apt to offend the weak^
and oftentimes stagger those who are strong. It is indeed a sore trials
but intended to make us perfect in the practice of three most impor-
tant duties, humihty, resignation, and faith. That we may not faint
under the severity of this discipHne, let us ever bear in mind, that the
beloved Son of the Father, the Son in whom he was well pleased,
had once occasion to utter these words, " My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?"
2. The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor • let them, or they shall,
be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Inconceivable is that malignant fury, with which a conceited infi-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 63
del persecutes an humble believer, though that believer hath no other-
wise offended him than by being such. And what wonder ? since it
is a copy of the hatred which Satan bears to Christ. But the de-
vices of the adversaries, hke those of their leader, will end in their
own eternal confusion.
3. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous^
whom the Lord abhorreth.
The first part of this verse points out that alarming symptom of a
reprobate mind, a disposition to exult and glory in those lusts, which
are the shame and disgrace of human nature, whether the world or
the flesh be their object. The latter clause is differently rendered, as
implying either that " the wicked blesseth the covetous, whom God
abhorreth," or that the " wicked, being covetous or oppressive, bless-
eth himself and abhorreth God." Either way, an oppressing, griping,
worldly spirit is characterized, with its direct opposition to the spirit
of God, which teaches, that sin is to be confessed with shame and
sorrow ; that in God alone man is to make his boast ; and that it is
more blessed to give, than to receive.
4. The wicked^ through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after
God ; God is not in all his thoughts ; or, all his imaginaiions are. There is no
God.
The counsels of heaven are not known by the wicked, because
they are not sought after ; and they are not sought after, because of
a diabolical self-sufficiency, which having taken possession of the
heart, displays itself in the countenance, and reigns throughout the
man. He wants no Prophet to teach him, no Priest to atone for him,
no King to conduct him ; he needs neither a Christ to redeem, nor a
Spirit to sanctify him : he believes no Providence, adores no Creator,
and fears no Judge. Thus he lives a " stranger from the covenants
of promise, and without God in the world." Ephes. ii. 12. O that
this character ^low existed ordy in the Psalmist's description ;
5. His ways are always grievous^ or, corrupt ; thy judgments are far above
out of his sight; as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
As are a man's principles, such will be his practices ; and if he
hath not God in his thoughts, his course of life will be corrupt and
abominable, his end, his means, and his motives being all wrong, and
polluted with concupiscence. There would have been some chance
of holding him by fear, but that is gone with his faith ; for no man
can tremble at judgments in which he does not believe.
6. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved ; for I shall never be in
adversity. '
Prosperity begets presumption ; and he who has been long accus-
tomed to see his designs succeed, begins to think it impossible they
should ever do otherwise. The long-suffering of God, instead of
leading such an one to repentance, only hardens him in his iniquity.
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, he
thinks it will not be executed at all. He vaunteth himself, therefore,
64
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
like the proud Chaldean monarch, in the Babylon which he hath
erected, and fondly pronounceth it to be immortal. Such, it is too
evident, are often the vain imaginations of triumphant wickedness.
7. His mouth is full of cursing ^ deceit^ and fraud; under his tongue is mis-
chief and vanity.
From the thoughts of the sinner's " heart," mentioned in the pre-
ceding verse, David goes on to describe the w^ords of his "mouth."
And here we may illustrate the character of antichrist, by setting that
of Christ in opposition to it. The mouth of one poureth forth a tor-
rent of curses and hes ; from that of the other flowed a clear and
copious stream of benediction and truth. Under the serpentine
tongue of the former is a bag of mischief and vanity ; but honey and
milk were under the tongue of the latter, so pleasant and so nourish-
ing to the spirits of men were all his communications.
8. He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages; in the secret places doth
he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
From " words," the description proceeds to " actions." And with
regard to these, as the Son of God went publicly preaching through
cities and villages to save men's lives, so this child of Satan lieth in
ambush to destroy them, privily bringing into the church, and diffu-
sing among the people, pestilent errors, and damnable heresies for
that purpose.
9. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den; he lieth in wait to catch
the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
The disciples of Jesus, like their blessed Master, are ever vigilant
to catch men in the evangelical net, in order to draw them from the
world to God ; and partisans of Satan, in imitation of their leader,
are employed in watching from their lurking-places, the footsteps of
the Christian pilgrim, that they may spring upon him in an un-
guarded moment, and draw him from God to the world, and from
thence to the devil
10. He croucheth, and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong
ones.
Our Lord, who is styled " the Lion of the tribe of Judah," became
a " Lamb," for the salvation of mankind : but when his adversary
at any time "humbleth" himself, when the wolf appears in sheep's
clothing, let the flock beware ; it is for their more effectual destruc-
tion. And if, allured by an outward show of moderation and benev-
olence, the simple ones shall venture themselves within his reach,
they will soon find that his nature is disguised, but not altered.
11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten ; he hideth his face; he
will never sec it.
For the chastisement of his people, God often suffers the enemy to
prevail and prosper, who then ridicules the faith and hope of the
church, and solaces himself in the conceit, that if there be a God, he
either knows not, or cares not what is done upon earth. These
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 6$
lEpicurean notions, however absurd and unworthy of the Deity they
may seem, do yet in some measure take possession of every man's
mind at the instant of his comn)itting a sin ; since it is most certain,
that, with a due impression of the divine omniscience upon his soul
at the time, he would not commit it, for all that the tempter could
offer him. But faith is apt to sleep, and then sin awakes.
12 Arise^ O Lord ; O God, lift up thine hand; forget not the humble. 13.
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God ? He hath said in his hearty Thou
wilt not requite it.
The church now prays, that Jehovah, in vindication of his owa
honour and attributes, would arise to judgment, and make bare his
glorious arm for the defence of his elect, who cry day and night unto
Sim. Thus would the insolence of the wicked one and his agents,
founded on the divine forbearance, be repressed, and all the world
would see, that God had not forgotten, but still, as ever, remembered
and regarded the low estate of his handmaid.
14. Thou hast seen it, for thou heholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with
thine hand : the poor committeth himself unto thee ; thou art the helper of the
fatherless.
" The wicked," above, " saith in his heart. Thou wilt not requite
it." But the faithful are taught other things by the promises in
Scripture, and the experience of unnumbered histories. They know
assuredly, that God beholds all that travail and vexation which some
inflict, and others sustain, upon the earth ; and that he will infallibly
•recompense to the former their deeds, to the latter their sufferings.
Destitute should we j?e of every earthly help, in the state of beggars
and orphans, yet in him will we trust, who, as the father and pro-
tector of all such, saith unto every one of us, " I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee."
15. Break thou the arm oftlie wicked and the evil man : seek out his wicked-
ness till thou find none.
This may be either a prayer, or a prediction, implying that the
time will come when the power of Jehovah will dash in pieces that
of the enemy, by the demolition either of sin or the sinner, until
wickedness be come utterly to an end, and righteousness be established
for ever in the kingdom of Messiah. And, lo,
16. 7^ Lord is King for ever and ever ; the heathen are perished out of the
land.
Faith beholds the Lord Jesus, as already manifested in his glorious
majesty, the kingdoms of this world become his, and the Canaanite
no more in the land of promise. Each individual experiences in
himself a happy prelude to this manifestation, when Christ rules in
his heart by the Spirit, and every appetite and affection is obedient
to the sceptre of his kingdom.
17. Lord, thou hast heard, or, hearest^ the desire of the humble : thou wilt
prepare, or thou preparest, their heart: thou wilt cause, or, thou causest thine
tear to Jiear.
How many important and comforting truths have we here, in a
9
66 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
few words ! As, that the "humble" and lowly, whatever they may
suffer in the world, are the favourites of Jehovah : that he attends to
the very "desires" of their hearts: that such hearts "prepared" to
prayer, are so many instruments stmng and tuned by the hand of
heaven : and that their prayer is as music, to which the Almighty
himself listens with pleasure.
18. To judge tlie fatherless and the oppressed^ that i/ie man of the earth may
no more oppress.
For the sake of the elect, and their prayers, the days of persecu-
tion and tribulation will be shortened ; the insolence of the earth-
born oppressor, the man of sin, will be chastised ; the cause of the
church will be heard at the tribunal of God; and victory, triumph,
and glory will be given unto her. In the foregoing exposition, regard
has been chiefly had to the case of the church, and to her sufferings
from the spirit of antichrist, in whomsoever existing and acting, from
time to time, in the world : this being judged the most generally use-
ful application, which Christians as such, can make of the Psalm.
Particular accommodations of it to the various oppressions of innocent
poverty by iniquitous opulence, will meet the eye, and offer them^
selves at once to persons so circumstanced, for their support and com-
fort, under their respective afflictions ; which will be also not a little
alleviated by the consideration, that the whole church of God groan-
eth with them, and travaileth in pain, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of the body. Then, and not till then, tears shall
cease to run down the cheeks of misery ; and sorrow and sighing-
shall fly away, to return no more for ever.
PSALM XL
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, under persecution, 1 — 3. declareth himself resolved to
trust in God alone, at a time when he was advised to fly to some place of refuge ; 4.
he expresses his faith in the omniscience and everruling power of Jehovah ; 5. assign*
the reason why good men are afflicted ; who, after that the wicked, 6. shall be de-
stroyed, will appear to have been all along, 7. the favoured of God.
1. In the Lord put I my trust : how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your
mountain ?
The Christian, like David, in perilous times, should make God
his fortress, and continue doing his duty in his station ; he should
not, at the instigation of those about him, like a poor, silly, timorous,
inconstant bird, either fly for refuge to the devices of worldly wis-
dom, or desert his post, and retire into solitude, while he can serve
the cause in which he is engaged. Nor indeed is there any " moun-
tain" on earth out of the reach of care and trouble. Temptations
are everywhere ; and so is the grace of God.
2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they m<ike ready their arrow iipon
the string, that they may primly shoot at the upright in heart.
These seem to be still the words of David's friends, representing
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 67?
to him, as a motive for his flight, the extreme danger he was in
from the " arrows " of the enemy, aWeady, as it were, fitted to the
"string," and pointed at him "in secret," so that not knowing
from whence they were to come, he could not guard against them.
The Christian's danger*from the darts of the infernal archers, lying
in wait for his soul, is full as great as -thax of David. But " the
shield of faith" sufficeth, in both cases.
3. If the foundations he destroyed^ what can the righteous do 7
This likewise seems to be spoken by the same persons, discour-
aging David from making any farther resistance, by the considera-
tion, that all was over; the '-foundations" of rehgion and law
were subverted ; and what could a man, engaged in the most
" righteous " designs, hope to " do," when that was the case ? Such
arguments are often urged by the timid, in similiar circumstances ;
but they are fallacious ; since all is not over, while there is a man
left to reprove error, and bear testimony to the truth. And a man
who does it with becoming spirit, may stop a prince, or senate, when
in full career, and recover the day. But let us hear David's farther
reply to his advisers.
4. The Lord is in his holy temple^ the Lord's throne is in heaven : his eyes
behold^ his eyelids try ^ the children of men.
In the first verse, the Psalmist had declared his trust to be in Je-
hovah. After reciting the reasonings of his friends, he now pro-
ceeds to evince the fitness and propriety of such trust, notwithstand-
ing the seemingly desperate situation of aflTairs. "Jehovah is in
his holy temple ;" into which, therefore, unholy men, however tri-
umphant in this world, can never enter : " Jehovah's throne is in
heaven ;" and consequently superior to all power upon earth, which
may be controlled and overruled by him in a moment ; " his eyes
behold, his eyelids try, the children of men ;" so that no secret wick-
edness can escape his knowledge, who scrutinizeth the hearts as well
as the lives of all the sons of Adam. Why, then, should the man de-
spair, who hath on his side holiness, omnipotence, and omniscience ?
5. The Lord tricth the righteous ; but the wicked, and him thai loveth vio-
lence, his soul hateth.
As to the afflictions which persons may suffer, who are embarked
in a righteous cause, they are intended to purge away the dross,
and to refine them for the Master's use. " Gold," saith the son of
Sirach, " is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of
adversity ;" Eccles. ii. 5. In the meantime, God's displeasure
against the wicked is ever the same, and their prosperity, instead of
benefiting, will in the end destroy them. The cases of David and
Saal, Christ and the Jews, the martyrs and their persecutors, are all
cases in point, and should be often in our thoughts to teach us pa-
tience, and guard us against despair, in seasons of calamity, pain,
or disgrace.
68 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, or, burning coals, Jive and brim-
stone, and an horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup.
St. Jude, ver. 7, tells us, that the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, <fec.
for their abominable sins, " ngoxsivjai dsiyfia^ are set forth for an ex-
ample, or specimen, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." And
here we see the images are plainly taken from the dreadful judg-
ment inflicted on those cities, and transferred to the vengeance of the
last day. Then the sons of faithful Abraham shall behold a pros-
pect, like that which once presented itself to the eyes of their father ;
when, rising early in the morning, and looking towards Sodom and
Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, he " beheld, and lo,
the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace !"
Gen. xix. 28. Such must be " the portion of their cup," who have
dashed from them the cup of salvation. He, therefore, who would
enjoy the prosperity of the wicked here, must take with it their tor-
ment hereafter ; as he who is ambitious of wearing the crown of
righteousness in heaven, must be content to endure tribulation upon
earth.
7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness ; his counte7iance doth be-
hold the upright.
He who is in himself essential righteousness, cannot but love his
own resemblance, wrought in the faithful by his good Spirit ; with
a countenance full of paternal affection, he beholds and speaks
peace and comfort to them, in the midst of their sorrows ; until, ad-
mitted through mercy, to the glory from which justice excludes the
wicked, and beholding that countenance which has always beheld
them, they shall enter upon a life of boundless and everlasting fe-
licity.
SECOND DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XIL
ARGUMENT.— The Church, through David, 1, 2. laments the decrease of God's
faithful servants, and the universal corruption among men, but 3 — 5. rests upon the
divine promises, the truth and certainty of which, 6, 7. she celebrates, and comforts
herself therewith, while in a world where oftentimes, 8. the wicked walk uncon-
trolled.
1. Help, Heb. Save, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth ; for the faithful fail
from among the children of men.
Our Lord foretels, that in the latter days, " because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold ;" and seems to question
whether, " when the Son of man cometh, he shall find faith upon
the earth." The universal depravity of Jew and Gentile caused
the church, of old, to pray earnestly for the first advent of Christ ;
and a like depravity among those who call themselves Christians,
may induce her to pray no less earnestly for his appearance the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 69
second time unto salvation. It is frequently a benefit to be destitute
of help from man, both as it puts us upon seeking it from God, and
inclines him to grant it, when we do seek.
2. They speak vanity, or, a Lie, every one with his neighbour : with flatter-
ing lips, and with a double heart do they speak.
When men cease to be faithful to their God, he who expects to
find them so to each other, will be much disappointed. The primi-
tive sincerity will accompany the primitive piety in her flight from
the earth ; and then interest will succeed conscience in the regula-
tion of human conduct, till one man cannot trust another farther
than he holds him by that tie. Hence, by the way, it is, that
although many are infidels themselves, yet few choose to have their
families and dependants such ; as judging, and rightly judging, that
true Christians are the only persons to be depended on, for the exact
discharge of social duties.
3. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh
proud things : 4. Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail, our lips
are our own : who is lord over v^ 7
They who take pleasure in deceiving others, will at the last find
themselves most of all deceived, when the Sun of truth, by the
brightness of his rising, shall at once detect and consume hypocrisy.
And as to men of another stamp, who speak great sweUing words
of vanity ; who vaunt themselves in the arm of flesh, thinking to
prevail by human wit, or human power ; equally deplorable will be
their case, when the Lord God "omnipotent" reigneth.
5. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I
arise, saith the Lord ; / will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
For the consolation of the afflicted and poor in spirit, Jehovah is
here introduced promising, out of compassion to their sufferings, to
" arise, and set them in safety," or place them in a state of salva-
tion. Such all along has been his promise to the church, who, by
looking back to the deliverances wrought of old for the servants of
God, and, above all, to that wrought for the Son of God, is now en-
couraged to look forward, and expect her final redemption from the
scorn and insolence of infideUty.
6. 7^ words of the Lord are pure words ; as silver tried in a furnace, or,
crucible of earth, purified seven times.
The church rejoices in the promises of God her Saviour, because
they are such as she can confide in. His words are not like those
of deceitful boasting man, but true and righteous altogether. Often
have they been put to the test, in the trials of the faithful, like sil-
ver committed to the furnace, in an earthen crucible ; but, like sil-
ver in its most refined and exalted purity, found to contain no
dross of imperfection, no alloy of fallibility in them. The words of
Jehovah are holy in his precepts, just in his laws, gracious in his
promises, significant in his institutions, true in his narrations, and
70 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
infallible in his predictions. What are the thousands of gold and
silver, compared to the treasures of the sacred page !
7. Thou shall keep th£m, O Lord, thou shall preserve them froin this gen-
eration for ever.
As if it had been said, Yes, blessed Lord, what thou hast pro-
mised shall surely be performed, since there is with thee no variable-
ness, nor shadow of turning : thou wilt keep thy poor and lowly
servants, as thou hast promised, from being circumvented by treach-
ery, or crushed by power ; thou wilt preserve them undefiled amidst
an evil and adulterous generation ; thou wilt be with thy church to
the end of the world, and then admit her to be with thee for ever.
8. 7%e wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
"While the faithful repose, as they ought to do, an unhmited con-
fidence in God's promises, they have, in the meantime, but too much
reason to mourn the prevalence of wickedness, stalking, like its
author, to and fro, and up and down in the earth, uncontrolled by
those who bear the sword, but who either blunt its edge, or turn it
the wrong way. Such is often the state of things liere below ; and
a reflection, made upon the subject by our Lord, when his enemies
drew near to apprehend him, may satisfy us how it comes to be so :
" It is your hour, and the power of darkness." But that hour will
quickly pass with us, as it did with him, and the power of darkness
will be overthrown ; the Lord will be our everlasting hght, and the
days of our mourning shall be ended.
PSALM XTIT.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm contains, 1, 2. a complaint of desertion; 3, 4. a prayer
for the divine assistance ; 5, 6. an act of faith and thanksgiving.
1. How long- wilt thou forget me, O Lord 7 for ever 7 How long wilt thou
hide thy face from me 7
While God permits his servants to continue under afflction, he is
said, after the manner of men, to have "forgotten and hid his face
from them." For the use, therefore, of persons in such circumstances,
is this Psalm intended ; and, consequently, it suits the different cases
of the church universal, languishing for the advent of our I^ord to
deliver her from this evil world ; of any particular church, in time
of persecution ; and of each individual, when harassed "hy tempta-
tions, or broken by sickness, pain and sorrow. He who bore our
sins, and carried our sorrows, may likewise be presumed to have
made it a part of his devotions in the day of trouble.
2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
daily 7 How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me 7
To excite compassion, and prevail for help from above, the peti-
tioner mentions three aggravating circumstances of his misery : the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 71
perplexity of his soul, not knowing which way to turn, or what
course to take; his heart-felt sorrow, uttering itself in sighs and
groanings ; and the mortifying reflection, that his enemies were ex-
ulting in their conquest over him. All this will happen, and be par-
ticularly painful, to him who has yielded to temptation, and com-
mitted sin.
3. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God ; lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep
the sleep of death.
On the preceding considerations is founded a prayer to Jehovah,
that he would no longer hide his face, but " consider," or, more lite-
rally, " have respect to, favourably behold" his servant ; that he would
"hear, attend to, be mindful of" his supplication in distress. The
deliverance requested is expressed figuratively, " Lighten mine eyes,
kst I sleep the sleep of death." In time of sickness and grief, the
"eyes" are dull and heavy; and they grow more and more so as
death approaches, which closes them in darkness. On the other
hand, health and joy render the organs of vision bright and spark-
ling, seeming, as it were, to impart " light" to them from within. The
words, therefore, may be fitly applied to a recovery of the body
natural, and thence of the body politic, from their respective mala-
dies. Nor do they less significantly describe the restoration of the
soul to a state of spiritual health and holy joy, which will manifest
themselves in like manner, by " the eyes of the understanding being
enlightened ;" and in this case, the soul is saved from the sleep of
sin, as the body is, in the other, from the sleep of death.
4. Lest mine enemies say, I have prevailed against him ; and those that
trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
This argument we often find urged in prayer to God, that he
should be pleased to work salvation for his people, lest his and their
enemies should seem to triumph over him as well as them ; which
would indeed have been the case, had Satan either seduced the true
David to sin, or confined him in the grave. And certainly it should
be a powerful motive to restrain us from transgression, when we con-
sider, that as the conversion of a sinner brings glory to God, and .
causes joy among the angels of heaven ; so the fall of a believer dis-
graces the Gospel of Jesus, opens the mouths of the adversaries, and
would produce joy, if such a thing could be, in hell itself.
5. But I have trusted, or, I trust, in thy mercy ; my heart shall rejoice, or,
rejoices, in thy salvation. 6. / tcill sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealtj
or, deals, bountifidly with me.
The heart which " trusteth in God's mercy," shall alone " rejoice
in his salvation," and celebrate by the tongue, in songs of praise, the
loving kindness of the Lord. It is observable, that this and many
other Psalms, with a mournful beginning, have a triumphant end-
ing ; to show us the prevailing power of devotion, and to convince
us of the certain return of prayer, sooner or later, bringing with it
the comforts of heaven, to revive and enrich our weary and barren
72 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
spirits in the gloomy seasons of sorrow and temptation, like the dew
descending by night upon the withered summit of an eastern moun-
tain.
PSALM XIV.
ARGUMENT.— This Psalm is in a manner the same with the 53d. It sets forth, 1—3.
the corruption of the world ; 4 — 6. its enmity against the people of God ; 7. the
prophet longs and prays for salvation.
1. The fool hath said in his hearty There is no God: they are corrupt^ they
have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
It does not appear upon what occasion David composed this Psalm.
The revolt of Israel in Absalom's rebellion, is by most writers pitched
upon as the subject of it. But, be this as it may, the expressions
are general, and evidently designed to extend beyond a private in-
terpretation. And accordingly, the apostle (Rom. iii. 10, <fec.) pro-
duces some passages from it, to evince the apostacy of both Jews and
Gentiles from their King and their God, and to prove them to be all
under sin. In this Hght therefore, we are to consider it, as charac-
terizing the principles and practices of those who oppose the Gospel
of Christ in all ages. " The fool hath said in his heart. There is no
God." InfideHty is the beginning of sin, folly the foundation of in-
fidelity, and the heart the seat of both. " Their foolish heart (says
St. Paul of the heathen, Rom. i. 21.) was darkened." The sad
consequence of defection in principle, is corruption in practice. " They
are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that
doeth good." On these words the reader may see a full comment,
Rom. i. 28—32.
2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if
there was any that did widerstand, and seek God. 3. 'I%ey are all gone aside,
they are all together become filthy, or, 'putrefied : there is none that doeth goody
no, not one.
Like a watchman on the top of some lofty tower, God is repre-
sented as surveying, from his heavenly throne, the sons of Adam,
and their proceedings upon the earth ; he scrutinizes them, and as
it were searches diligently, to find among them a man of true wis-
dom, one whose heart was turned toward the Lord his God, one who
was enquiring the way to salvation and glory, that he might walk
therein. But as the result of this extensive and accurate survey,
God informs his prophet, and commissions him to inform the world,
that all had declined from the paths of wisdom and righteousness ;
that the mass of human nature was become putrid, requiring to be
cleansed, and the vessels made up of it to be formed anew. Such is
the Scripture account of man not having received grace, or having
fallen from it ; of man without Christ, or in arms against him. See
Rom. iii. 11, 12.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 73
4 * Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge 7 who eat up mypeople as
they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
The " workers of iniquity," work for the wages of death ; they
fight against God and their own souls ; they barter eternity for time,
and part with happiness for misery, both in possession and reversion.
Well therefore may it be asked, " Have they no knowledge ?" For
common sense, after all, is what they want. They who, with an
appetite keen as that to their food, prey upon the poor, and devour
the people of God, will themselves be preyed upon and devoured by
that roaring lion, whose agents for the present they are ; and such
as now " call not on" the name of " the Lord" Jesus for pardon and
salvation, shall hereafter call in vain upon the rocks and mountains,
to shelter them from his power and vengeance.
5. There were they in great fear ; for God is in the generatixm of the righ-
teous.
In the parallel place, Psal. hii. 5, after the words, " There were
they in great fear," are added these, " where no fear was," which
certainly connect better with what follows, " for God is in the gene-
ration of the righteous." David is supposed to be speaking primarily
of Israel's defection from him to Absalom, and here to be assigning the
motive of that defection in many, namely, fear of the rebel's grow-
ing power, and distrust of his ability to protect them ; which fear,
he observes, was groundless, because his cause was the cause of
God, who would not fail to appear in its support and vindication^
The subjects of Christ, in times of persecution, are often tempted to
renounce their allegiance, upon the same principle of fear ; although
of them it may more emphatically be said, that they " fear where
no fear is, since God is in the generation of the righteous ; and they
who are engaged on the side of Messiah, will, in the end, most as-
suredly be triumphant. The latter clause of this verse, in Psalm
liii. runs thus : " For God hath scattered, or, shall scatter, the bones
of him that encampeth against thee ; thou hast, or shalt, put them
to shame, because God hath despised them :" the sense of which is
evidently the same with — " God is in the generation of the righ-
teous :" he will defend them and overthrow their enemies : therefore
let them not fear, neither let their hearts be troubled. If this interpre-
tation be disapproved, the words, " There were they in great fear,"
must be understood of the enemy ; and the clause, " where no fear was,''
must be rendered interrogatively thus, " and was there not cause for
them to fear ? since God is in the generation of the righteous, or,
will scatter the bones of him that encampeth against thee," <fec.
6. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his re-
fuge.
This is plainly addressed to the adversaries, and charges them
* Between the preceding verse and this are three others inserted in our common
translation, which, though taken by St. Paul from other parts of Scripture, yet because
(Rom. iii. 13.) they followed the words cited from this Psalm, were probably added
thereunto in this place by some transcribers of the copies of the LXX. For in other
copies of the LXX. they exist not any more than m the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriac.
10
f4 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
with reproaching and scoffing at that confidence in the Lord, ex-
pressed by the afflicted righteous, in the preceding verse.
7. O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion ! When the Lord
bringeth hack the captivity of his people^ Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall
he glad.
The consideration of the apostacy and corruption of mankind,
described in this Psalm, makes the Prophet express a longing desire
for the salvation of Israel, which was to go forth out of Zion, and
to bring back the people of God from that most dreadful of all cap-
tivities, the captivity under sin and death ; a salvation at which
Jacob would indeed rejoice,, and Israel be glad. And how doth the
whole church, at this time, languish for the consummation of her
felicity, looking, even until her eyes fail, for that glorious day of final
redemption, when every believing heart shall exult, and all the sons
of God shout aloud for joy !
THIRD DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XT.
ARGUMENT. — This is one of the Psalms appointed to be used on Ascension-day. The
Prophet, 1. inquires concerning the person, who should ascend into the hill, and dwell
in the temple of Jehovah ; 2 — 5. he receives, in answer to his question, a character
of such person.
1. Lord, wh^ shall abide in thy tabernacle 7 Who shall dwell in thy holy
Ml 7
The prophet alludes to the hill of Sion in the earthly Jerusalem,
to the tabernacle of God which was thereon, and the character of
the priest, who should officiate in that tabernacle. But all these
were figures of a celestial Jerusalem, a spiritual Sion, a true taber-
nacle, and an eternal priest. To the great originals therefore we
must transfer our ideas, and consider the inquiry as made after Him,
who should fix his resting-place on the heavenly mount, and exer-
cise his unchangeable priesthood in the temple not made with hands.
And since the disciples of this new and great High Priest become
righteous in him, and are by the Spirit conformed to his image, the
character which essentially and inherently belongs only to him, will
derivatively belong to them also, who must follow his steps below, if
they would reign with him above.
2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the
truth in his heart.
The man, therefore, who would be a citizen of Zion, and there
enter into the rest and joy of his Lord, must set that Lord always
before him. Renewed through grace, endued with a lively faith,
and an operative charity, he must consider and imitate the Hfe of
that blessed Person who walked amongst men, without partaking
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 75
of their corruptions ; who conversed unblameably with sinners ; who
could give this challenge to his inveterate enemies, " Which of you
convinceth me of sin 7" in whom the grand accuser, when he came,
" found nothing ;" who, being himself " the Truth," thought and
spake of nothing else ; making many promises, and performing
them all.
3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour ^
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
Who, knowing the sins, foUies, and infirmities of all mankind,
made his tongue an instrument, not of disclosing and exasperating,
but of covering and heahng these sores in human nature ; who, es-
teeming every son of Adam as his neighbour, went about doing
good ; and then laid down his life, and resigned his breath in prayer
for his murderers ; who, instead of taking up a reproach, and listen-
ing to the calumniator, cast him out, and silenced him, by erasing
the hand-writing that was against us, and naiUng the cancelled in-
dictment to the cross ;
4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he honour eth them that fear
the Lord : he thai sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
Who rejected the wicked, however rich and honourable; and
chose the well- inclined, however poor and contemptible in the world ;
who having, by covenant with the Father, engaged to keep the law,
and to taste death for every man, went willingly and steadily through
this work, and surmounted every obstacle which could be thrown in
his way, until he declared, concerning the task appointed him, " It is
£nished."
5. He that putteth not out his money to u^ury, nor taketh reward against the
■innocent.
Who was so far from desiring to amass the earthly mammon,
tiiat he would touch none of it ; and received the true riches, only
tliat he might bestow them upon others ; who, instead of taking a
reward against the innocent, died for the guilty ; and whose sentence,
when he shall sit on the throne of judgment, will be equally impar-
tial and immutable.
6. He that doeth these things, shall never be moved.
In the above comment, it was thought most advisable to open and
display the full extent of what was both enjoined and forbidden, by
exemplifying each particular, as receiving its utmost completion, in
the character and conduct of our blessed Lord. And whoever shall
survey and copy these virtues and graces, as they preseat themselves
in his life, will, it is humbly apprehended, take the best and shortest
way to the heavenly Zion, and make that use of the fifteenth Psalm,
which the Church may be supposed to have had in view, when she
appointed it as one of the proper Psalms for Ascension-day.
76 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM XVI.
ARGUMENT. — Upon whatever occasion, or in whatever distress, David might com-
pose this Psalm, we are taught by St. Peter and St. Paul, Acts, ii. 24. and xiii. 35. to
consider him as speaking in the person of Christ our Lord, of whom alone the latter
part of the Psalm is true. The contents are, 1. a prayer for support ; 2, 3. a decla-
ration of love to the saints ; 4. a protestation against idolaters ; 5—8. acts of love, joy
and confidence in Jehovah ; and 9 — 11. one of hope in an approaching resurrection
and glorification.
1. Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I put my trust.
These words are evidently spoken by one in great distress, who-
addresses himself to heaven for support under his sufferings, pleading
his confidence in God, still unshaken by all the storms that had set
themselves against it. This might be the case of David, and may
be that of any believer. But since the Psalm is a continued speech
without change of person, we may consider the whole as uttered by
Him who only could utter the concluding verses, and who in this
first verse makes his supplication to the Father, for the promised and
expected deliverance.
2. O my soul, tTwu hast said unto the Lord, Thmi art my Lord : my goodness
extendeth not to thee ; 3. But to the saints that are in the earthy and to tfie
excellent^ in whom is all my delight.
In the Chaldee and Syriac, the latter clause of the former of these
two verses is lendered — " My goodness is from thee." An ingenious
writer thinks the Hebrew will bear this sense, in the elliptical way^
thus — "My goodness: shall I mention that? By no means; it is
all to be ascribed to thee." The goodness of man is all derived
from God, and should be extended to his brethren. That of Mes-
siah owed its original to his union with the Divinity ; and promoted
the salvation of those to whom it was communicated, that is to say,
of those who thereby became " the saints and excellent ones in the
earth." For their sakes obedience was performed, and the propitia-
tion made, by the Son of God, because he loved them with an ever-
lasting love, and placed "all his delight" in making them happy^
He rejoiced in " the habitable parts of the earth, and his dehghts
were with the sons of men." Prov. viii. 31.
4. Their sorrow shall he multiplied that hasten after another god : theii^
drink-offerings of blood will I not offer ^ nor take up their names into my lips.
Christ denounceth vengeance against those who should make to
themselves other gods, run after other saviours, or suffer any creature
to rival him in their affections ; declaring of such, that their offerings
should not be presented by him to the Father, nor should they be
partakers of the benefits of his intercession. Even the bloody sacri-
fices of the law, instituted for a time by God himself, became abomi-
nation to him when that time was expired, and the one great sacri-
fice had been offered upon the altar of the cross.
b. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance^ and of my cups ^^^^u main^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 77
tainest my lot. 6. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, 1 have
a goodly heritage.
The true David, anointed to his everlasting kingdom, yet first a
man of sorrows and a stranger upon earth, prefers the promised in-
heritance of the church, that spiritual kingdom, city, and temple of
Jehovah, before all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of
them ; he is sure that Jehovah will maintain his lot, that he will
both give and preserve to him this his patrimony ; and therefore re-
joices at the divine beauty and excellency of the heavenly Canaan.
And fience the Christian learns wherein his duty and his happiness
consist ; namely, in making choice of God for " the portion of his in-
heritance and of his cup," for his support and for his delight ; in pre-
ferring the spirit to the flesh, the church to the world, and eternity to
time.
7. 1 will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct
me in the night seasons.
The person speaking here blesses Jehovah for communicating that
divine " council," that celestial wisdom, by which he was incited and
enabled to make the foregoing choice and resolution. In the latter
part of the verse is intimated the mode of these gracious and spiritual
communications, which in the dark seasons of adversity were con-
veyed to the inmost thoughts and affections of the mind, thereby to
instruct, to comfort, and to strengthen the sufferer, until his passion
should be accomplished, and the morning of the resurrection should
dawn, in which, as we shall see, all his hope and confidence were
placed.
8. / have set the Lord always before me ; because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved.
The method taken by Christ as man, to support himself in time
of trouble, and persevere unto the end, was to maintain a constant
actual sense of the presence of Jehovah, whom when he thus saw
standing at his right hand, ready, at the appointed hour, to succour
and deliver him, he then feared not the powers of earth and hell
combined for his destruction. Why are our fears great, but be-
cause our faith is little ?
9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth ; my flesh also shall
rest in hope.
Through confidence in the almighty power engaged on his side,
joy filled the heart of Christ, and rendered his tongue an instrument
of giving glory to Jehovah in the midst of his sufferings ; because
when they were ended, as they must soon be, his flesh was only to
make its bed, and rest awhile, in the grave, after the labours of the
day, in sure and certain hope of a speedy resurrection and glorifica-
tion. This same consideration is to the afliicted, the sick, and the dying
Christian, a never-failing source of comfort, and inexhaustible foun-
tain of joy : sin and infidelity are the enemies, who would fill it with
earth.
78 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thy
Holy One to see corruption.
It was a part of the covenant of grace, and promised by the
mouth of God's prophets, that after the death of Messiah, his ani-
mal frame, "^JJS^, should not continue, like those of other men, in the
grave, i)ii^';2J> ^or should corruption be permitted to seize on the body,
by which all others were to be raised to incorruption and immortality.
As members of Christ, this same promise and assurance is so far
ours, that although our mortal part must see corruption, yet it shall
not be finally left under the power of the enemy, but shall be raised
again, and reunited to its old companion the soul, which exists,
meanwhile, in secret and undiscerned regions, there waiting for the
day when its Redeemer shall triumph over corruption, in his mysti-
cal, as he hath already done in his natural body.
11. TViou wilt show me the path of life : in thy presence is fulness of joy ;
at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The return of Christ from the grave is beautifully described by
Jehovah " showing," or discovering to him a " path of life," leading
through the valley of the shadow of death, and from that valley to
the summit of the hill of Zion, or to the mount of God in heaven,
on which he now sits enthroned. There exalted at the right hand
of the Father, that human body, which expired on the cross, and
slept in the sepulchre, lives and reigns, filled with delight, and en-
circled by glory incomprehensible and endless. Through this thy
beloved Son and our dear Saviour, " thou shalt show " us likewise,
O Lord, " the path of life ;" thou shalt justify our souls by thy grace
now, and raise our bodies by thy power at the last day ; when
earthly sorrow shall terminate in heavenly joy, and momentary pain
shall be rewarded with everlasting fehcity.
PSALM XVIL
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, confiding in the justice of his cause, 1 — 4. prayeth for
a hearing and decision of it ; 5 — 9. he petitioneth for the divine guidance and protec-
tion ; 10 — 12. he describeth the temper and behaviour of his enemies ; 13, 14. beseech-
eth God to disappoint them, and to deliver him ; he endeth with an act of faith.
1. Hear the right, O Lord, or, Hear, O righteous Lord, attend unto my cry^
give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
The righteousness of the judge, and the importunity and sincerity
of the petitioner, are the arguments here urged for a speedy and fa-
vourable determination. Slander and calumny were tlie portion of
David, and of a greater than David, till the righteous Lord mani-
fested himself on their behalf. And shall not God, in like manner,
judge and avenge the cause of " his own elect, who cry day and
night unto him ?" " I tell you," saith Christ himself, " that he will
avenge them speedily." Luke xviii. 8, "Men ought always to
pray, therefore, and not to faint."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 79
2. Let my sentence come forth from thy presence ; let thine eyes behold the
things that are equal.
A court of equity is ever sitting in heaven, to receive appeals from
the wrongful decisions of men here below ; and in that court a judge
presides, whose impartial hand holds the scales of justice even ;
whose unerring eye marks the least inclination of either ; and from
whose sentence injured innocence is therefore taught to expect re-
dress.
3. Thou hast proved mine heart ; thou hast visited me in the night ; thou
hast tried me, and shall find nothing : I am purposed that my mouth shall not
transgress. ^
The sufferer's heart condemns him not, and he " has confidence
towards God," to whom he applies as the proper judge, because the
only witness, of his integrity. God had " proved" not only his words
and actions, but his " heart," which man could not do : God had
" visited," observed, and explored him " in the night," when secrecy
and soUtude prompt the hypocrite to sin, and when the undisciplined
imagination wanders abroad, like the bird of darkness, after forbid-
den objects : God had '•' tried" him, as silver or gold, in the fiery fur-
nace of adversity : and if there be any dross or scum in the metal,
it will then rise to the top, and show itself ; yet nothing appeared,
not so much as the alloy of an intemperate word. Absolutely and
universally this could only be true of the holy Jesus ; however,
through his grace, it may be true of some of his disciples in particu-
lar instances of crimes falsely laid to their charge. Let us pray that
it may be true of us, whenever God shall please to prove and try us.
4. Concerning the works ofmen^ by the word of thy lips, I have kept me
from the paths of the destroyer.
The way to hold fast our integrity in time of temptation is here
pointed out. " Concerning the works of men," that is, such works
as fallen, depraved man has recourse to when in distress, " by the
word of thy lips," by treasuring up thy word in my heart, as the
rule of my actions, and the guide of my Hfe, " I have watched,"
observed, that is, in order to avoid, " the paths of the destroyer."
This seems to be the literal construction, and to convey the full
meaning of the verse, which contains exactly the same sentiment
with tliat in Psalm cxix. 11. " Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee." If the word either be not in the
heart at all, or if it be not there in such a manner as to be ready at
all times for use and application, the man is in danger, at every turn,
of going astr^.
5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
The word of God affords us direction, but the grace of God must
enable us to follow its direction, and that grace must be obtained by
prayer. The "paths of God" are opposed to the " paths of the de-
stroyer," the way of righteousness to that of sin. The image here
is taken from one walking in a slippery path, for such is that of hu-
man life, by reason of temptations ; so that the believer, especially if
so A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
he be young, feeble, and inexperienced, has great need of a divine
supporter in every step he takes.
6. / have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, or, because thou hast
heard me, O God : incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
The sweet experience of former deliverances giveth a comfortable
assurance of protection in present and future dangers ; and this
should cause us to fly for refuge at all tiroes, by strong supplication
and prayer, to him who is able ai^ willing to save us from death.
7. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness, O thou that savest by thy right
hand them which put their trust in thee, from those that rise up against them.
»
This is an address to the " loving-kindness," or mercy of God,
which the Psalmist entreats him to display and magnify in his fa-
vour, since it was the promise, the delight, and the glory of Jehovah,
to save those who believed and trusted in him. There are two
ways of rendering the latter clause of this verse : either, " Thou
who savest by thy right hand," <fec. as our translation has it : or,
" Thou that savest them which put their trust in thee from those
that rise up at, or, against thy right hand," meaning the opposers of
the divine counsels and dispensations : as in Zech. iii. 1, Satan is
said to " stand at Joshua's right hand," to obstruct the building of
the temple.
8. Keep me as the apple of the eye: hide me under the shadow of thy wings.
9. From the wicked thai oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass
me about.
He who has so fenced and guarded that precious and tender part,
the pupil of the eye, and who has provided for the security of a
young and helpless brood under the wings of their dam, is here en-
treated to extend the same providential care and parental love to the
souls of his elect, equally exposed to danger, equally beset with ene-
mies. Of his readiness so to do he elsewhere assureth us, under the
same exquisite imagery, Zech. ii. 8 : " He that toucheth you,
toucheth the apple of his eye." Matt, xxiii. 37 : '' O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings !"
10. They are enclosed in their own fat ; with their mouth they speak
proudly.
The last argument made use of by the Psalmist, in his ad-
dress to God, is the character of his adversaries. He begins with
their "pride," and its cause, " fulness of bread," or high living. Dr.
Hammond prefers the rendering which follows : " They have shut
up their mouth with fat ; they speak proudly." Either way the
meaning plainly is, that pride is the child of plenty, begotten by
self-indulgence, which hardens the hearts of men against the fear
of God, and the love of their neighbours ; rendering them insensible
to the judgments of the former, and the miseries of the latter, l^et
every man take care, that, by pampering the flesh; he do not raise
up an enemy of this stamp against himself.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 81
11. They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes
bowing dowfi to the earth.
" They have compassed us in our steps ;" that is, literally, Saul
and his followers had watched, pursued, and at last hemmed in Da-
vid and his men : " They have set, or fixed their eyes" upon us, ^-^n^^
tlltODb) ''^<^ W "^ prostrate upon the earth," or finally to make an
end of us. Such are our spiritual enemies ; such is their intention,
and our danger.
12. Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion
lurking in secret places.
The similitude of a lion, either roaring abroad in quest of his prey,
or couching in secret, ready to spring upon it the moment it comes
within his reach, is often employed by David, to describe the power
and malice of his enemies. Christians cannot forget, that they like-
wise have an adversary of the same nature and character ; one ever
seeking whom, and contriving how, he may devour.
13. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down : deliver my soul from
the wicked, which is thy sword : 14. From men which are thy hand, O Lord,
from, men of the world, which [lave their portion in this life, and, whose belly
thoufillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest
of their substance to their babes.
The Psalmist, having characterised those who pursued after him
to take away his life, now entreats God to "arise" or appear in his
cause, to " disappoint" or "prevent" the enemy in his designs, and
to "cast him down," to overthrow and subdue him. The next
words may be thus rendered : " Deliver my soul from the wicked
by thy sword, from men by thy hand, O Lord, from the men of the
world;" the expressions, "sword" and "hand of Jehovah," being
frequently used to denote his power and vengeance. The 'nbn'O D'^n^O
or " mortals of the transitory world," from whom David prays to be
delivered, are said to be such as have " their portion in this life,"
such as, in our Saviour's language, "have their reward" here, and
are not to expect it hereafter ; " whose bellies thou fillest with thy
hid treasure ;" whom thou permittest to enjoy thy temporal blessings
in abundance, to "receive their good things" upon earth, and to
^' fare sumptuously every day ; as if it were to convince us, in what
estimation we ought to liold the world, when we see the largest
shares of it dealt out to the most worthless of the sons of Adam :
^' They are full of, or abound in children, and leave the residue of
their substance to their babes ;" after living in plenty, perhaps to a
good old age, they leave behind them a numerous and flourishing
posterity, who inherit their estates, and go on, as their fathers did
l3efore them, without piety to God, or charity to the poor. From
these men and their ways we have all reason to say, with David,
" Good Lord dehver us !"
15. As for me, I will behold thy face in idghteousness : I shall be satisfied^
when I awake, loith thy likeness.
Instead of setting our affections on things below, the prophet in-
il
82 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
structs uSj after his example, to place all our happiness in the vision
of God, and in that righteousness which leads to it ; since the hour
is coming, when we shall awake and arise, after the divine simili-
tude ; when we shall be like God, for we shall see him as he is, and
by seeing him shall be changed into the same image : and then shall
every desire be satisfied with the fulness of joy, with the exceeding
abundance of unutterable glory.
THIRD DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XVIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, as we are informed by the sacred history, 2 Sam. xxii. 1^-
was composed and sung by David, in the day that the Lord had delivered him out
of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. It contains, ver. 1 — 3".
an address of thanks to Jehovah ; 4 — 6. a relation of sufferings, undergone, and
prayers made for assistance ; 7 — 15. a magnificent description of the divine interpo-
sition in favour of the sufferer, and 16 — 19. of the deliverance wrought for him, 20 —
24. in consideration of his righteousness, 25 — 28. according to the tenour of God's
equitable proceedings ; 29 — 36. to Jehovah is ascribed the glory of the victory, which,.
37 — 42. is represented as every way complete, by the destruction of all opponents,
and 43 — 45. the submission of the heathen ; for these events, 46 — 50. God is blessed
and praised. As the sublimity of the figures used in this Psalm, and the consent of
ancient commentators, even Jewish as well as Christian, but above all, the citations-
made from it in the New Testament, do evince, that the kingdom of Messiah is here
pointed out, under that of David, an application is therefore made of the whole, in
the ensuing comment, to the sufferings, resurrection, righteousness, and conquests of
Christ, to the destruction of the Jews, and conversion of the Gentiles. In a word,
the Psalm, it is apprehended, should now be considered as a glorious epinikion, or
triumphal hymn, to be sung by the church, risen and victorious in Christ her Head.
1. I will love tliee, O Lord, my strength.
Let us suppose king Messiah, like his illustrious progenitor of old^
seated in peace and triumph upon the throne designed and prepared
for him. From thence let us imagine him taking a retrospect view
of the sufferings he had undergone, the battles he had fought, and
the victories he had gained. With this idea duly impressed upon
our minds, we shall be able in some measure, to conceive the force-
of the words, " "773^1^)^^) with all the yearnings of affection : " I will
love thee, O Jehovah, my strength, through my union with whom I
have finished my work, and am now exalted to praise thee, in the^
name of a redeemed world." Whenever w^e sing this Psalm, let us
think we are singing it in conjimction with our Saviour, newly risen-
from the dead ; a consideration which surely will incite us to do it
with becoming gratitude and devotion.
2. TTie Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and' my deliverer; my God, my^
strength, in whom I trust ; my buckler, and tJie horn of my salvation, and my
high tower.
In other words, explanatory of the figures here made use of,
Through Jehovah it is, that 1 have stood immoveable amidst a sea
of temptations and afflictions ; he has supported me under my trou-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. SS
bles, and delivered me out of them ; his protection has secured me,
his power has broken and scattered mine enemies ; and by his mercy
and truth am I now set up on high above them all. — How lovely
these strains, in the mouth of the church militant ! How glorious
will they be, when sung by the church triumphant ! It is observa-
ble, that the words, " in w4iom 1 trust," or, as the original has it, '• I
will trust in him," are referred to, in the margin of our English Bible,
as quoted from this verse by St. Paul, Heb. ii. 13. If it be so, the
reader, by turning to the place, may furnish himself with a demon-
stration, that in the eighteenth, as well as in the sixteenth Psalm,
David speaks in the person of Christ.
3. IwUl^ or, did, call upon the Lord, who is worthy to he praised; so shall I
oe, or, so was /, saved from mine enemies.
As the Psalm so evidently throughout is a thanksgiving for past
deliverances, the verbs in this verse seem to require the same render-
ing which is given to them below, at verse 6. Jehovah is to be
" called upon " both in adversity and in prosperity; in the former
with the voice of prayer, in the latter with that of praise. " Is any
afflicted T saith St. James, v. 13. " Let him pray. Is any merry 1
let him sing Psalms."
4. The sorrows, or, cm^d^, of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly
m£n^ or, Belial made me afraid. 5. The sorrows, or, cords, of Jiell, or, the
grave, compassed me aboict ; the snares of death prevented me.
St. Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, says, when speak-
ing of Christ — " Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains
of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it,'*
Acts ii. 24. " Now the Hebrew word bin " (^s Dr. Hammond well
observes on that place) " signifies two things, a cord or band, and a
pang, especially of women in travail ; hence the LXX. meeting with
the word, Ps. xviii. where it certainly signifies xo^fici, cords, or bands,
have yet rendered it codiveg, pangs ; and from their example here, St,
Luke hath used t«c atdtyag i^aputov, the pains or pangs of death.;
when both the addition of the word Xuang, loosing, and xQareiadat^
being holden fast, do show the sense is bands, or cords." From
the passage in the Acts, with this learned and judicious remark upon
it, we obtain not only the true rendering of the phrase " f^-j^^ ^))'2tl
cords, or bands of death," but also something more than an intima-
tion that, in the verses of our Psalm now before us, David speaks of
Christ, that the "cords of death," those "bands" due to our sins,
" compassed him about," and the " floods of Belial," the powers of
darkness and ungodUness, like an overwhelming torrent breaking
forth from the bottomless pit, " made him afraid," in the day of his
agony, when the apprehensions of the bitter cup cast his soul into
unutterable amazement, and he beheld himself environed by those
"snares" which had captivated and detained all the children of
Adam. David, surrounded by Saul and his blood-thirsty attendants,
was a Uvely emblem of the suffering Jesus, and therefore the same
description is applicable to both j as the words of the second Psalm,
84 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in like manner, celebrate the inauguration of the son of Jesse, and
that of tlie Son of God.
6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried, unto my God: he heard
my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
David was in distress ; David called upon Jehovah, the God of
Israel, who dwelt between the cherubim in the holy place ; and by
him the prayer of David was heard. Much greater was the distress
of Christ, who likewise, as St. Paul speaks, " in the days of his flesh
offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears,
unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard ;"
Heb. V. 7 ; his voice ascended to the eternal temple, his powerful cry
pierced the ears of the Father everlasting, and brought salvation
from heaven at the time appointed. The church also is distressed
upon the earth, she crieth. her cries are heard, and will be answered
in the day of God.
7. Then the earth shook and trembled ; the foundations also of the hills moved
and were shaken, because he was wroth.
At this verse the prophet begins to describe the manifestation of
divine power in favour of the righteous sufferer. The imagery em-
ployed is borrowed from Mount Sinai, and those circumstances,
which attended the delivery of the law from thence. When a mon-
arch is angry, and prepares for war, his whole kingdom is instantly
in commotion. Universal nature is here represented as feehng the
effects of its Sovereign's displeasure, and all the visible elements are
disordered. The earth shakes from its foundations, and all its rocks
and mountains tremble before the majesty of their great Creator,
when he ariseth in judgment. This was really the case at the res-
urrection of our Lord from the dead ; when, as the evangelist informs
us, " there was a great earthquake," and the grave owned its inability
any longer to detain the blessed body, which had been committed,
for a season, to its custody. And what happened at the resurrection
of Jesus, should remind us of what shall happen, when the earth
shall tremble, and the dead shall be raised, at the last day.
8. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his vwvth de-
voured : coals were kindled by it : or,fre out of his mouth devoured, with burn-
ing coals from before him.
The further effects of God's indignation are represented by those of
fire, which is the most terrible of the created elements, burning and
consuming all before it, scorching the ground, and causing the moun-
tains to smoke. Under this appearance God descended on the top of
Sinai : thus he visited the cities of the plain ; and thus he is to come
at the end of time. Whenever therefore he is described as showing
forth his power, and vengeance for the salvation of his chosen, and
the discomfiture of his enemies, a "devouring fire" is the emblem
made choice of, to convey proper ideas of such his manifestations.
And from hence we may conceive the heat of his wrath against the
adversaries of man's salvation, when, by raising his Son Jesus from
the dead, he blasted their schemes, and withered all their strength.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 85
9. He bowed the heavens also, and came down : and darkness was under
his feet. 10. And he rode upon a chencb, and didjiy; yea he did Jly on the
wings of the wind. 11. He made darkness his secret place ; his pavilion round
about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Storms and tempests in the element of air are instruments of the
divine displeasure, and are therefore selected as figures of it. When
God descends from above, the clouds of heaven compose an awful
and gloomy tabernacle, in the midst of which he is supposed to reside :
the reins of whirlwinds are in his hand, and he directs their impetu-
ous course through the world ; the whole artillery of the aerial re-
gions is at his command, to be by him employed against his enemies,
in the day of battle and war. ^
12. At the brightness that was before him, his thick clouds passed, hail-etones
and coals of fire. 13. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and ihe High-
est gave his voice; hail-stones and coals of fire. 14. Yea, he sent out his ar-
rows, and scattered them ; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
The discharge of the celestial artillery upon the adverse powers is
here magnificently described. Terrible it was to them, as when
lightnings and thunders, hail-stones and balls of fire, making their
way through the dark clouds which contain them, strike terror and
dismay into the hearts of men. Such is the "voice," and such are
the "arrows," of the Lord Almighty, w^herewith he " discomfiteth "
all who oppose the execution of his counsels, and obstruct the salva-
tion of his chosen. Every display arid description of this sort, and
indeed every thunder-storm which w^e behold, should remind us of
that exhibition of power and vengeance, which is hereafter to accom-
pany the general resurrection.
15. TTien the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the
world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy
nostrils.
As the former part of the Psalmist's description was taken from
the appearance on Mount Sinai, so this latter part seems evidently to
allude to what passed at the Red Sea, when by the breath of God
the waters were divided, the depths were discovered, and Israel was
conducted in safety through them. By that event was prefigured
the salvation of the church universal, through the death and resur-
rection of Christ, who descended into the lower parts of the earth,
and from thence reascended to light and life. The fourteenth chap-
ter of Exodus, which relates the passage of Israel through the Red
Sea, is therefore appointed as one of the proper lessons on Easter-day.
And thus we obtain the ideas intended to be conveyed in this sublime
but difficult verse, together wath their application to the grand deliver-
ance of the true David, in the day of God's power. Indeed, it is not
easy to accommodate to any part of the history of the son of Jesse
those awful, majestic, and stupendous images, which are ma da use
of throughout this whole description of the divine manifestation,
from verse 7. But, however this be, most certainly every part of so
sole^nn a scene of terrors forbids us to doubt but that a " greater than
David is here ;" since creation scarce affords colours brighter and
86 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
strongei cnan those here employed, wherewith to paint the appear-
ance of Jehovah at the day of final redemption.
16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many, or, the great
waters. 17. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which
hated me ; for they were too strong for me.
For this purpose did God in so w^onderful a manner display his
power and glory, that he might deliver the sufferer out of his irou-
lales. This dehverance is first expressed metaphorically, by " draw-
ing him out of the great waters," and then plainly, " he delivered
me from my strong enemy," (fee. " The great waters," in ver. 16,
are the same with " the floods of the ungodly," in ver. 4. By these
was Messiah, like David, opf)ressed and overwhelmed for a time ;
but, like David, he arose at length superior to them all. The
" strong enemy" was obhged to give way to a " stronger than he,
who overcame him, and took from him his armour in which he
trusted, and divided the spoil :" Luke xi. 22.
18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity j hut the Lord wa^ my
stay. 19. He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, be-
cause lie delighted in me.
The divine mercy is celebrated again and again through this sa-
cred hymn, in a variety of expressions. Innumerable foes " pre-
vented," that is, surrounded, enclosed Christ on all sides, " in the
day of his calamity," when the powers of earth and hell set
themselves in array against him ; but " Jehovah was his stay ;"
on him he reposed an unshaken confidence : Jehovah therefore
supported his steps, and led him on to victory and triumph ; from
the narrow confines of the grave he translated him to unbounded
empire, because he was the son of his love, in whom he delighted.
20. 7%e Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness ; according to
the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21. Por I have kept the
ways of the Lord, oTid have not wickedly departed from my God. 22. Far
all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from Tne.
23. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity, or,
from iniquities. 24. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to
my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight.
Commentators liave been much perplexed to account for these
unlimited claims to righteousness made by David, and that, long
after the matter of Uriah, and towards the close of life. Certain in-
deed it is, that the expressions, considered as David's must be con-
fined either to his steadfast adherence to the true worship in opposi-
tion to idolatry, or to his innocency with regard to some particular
crimes falsely alleged against him by his adversaries. But if the
Psalm be prophetical, and sung by the victorious monarch in the
person of king Messiah ; then do the verses now before us no less
exactly than beautifully dehneate that all-perfect righteousness
wrought by the Redeemer, in consequence of which, he obtained de-
liverance for himself and his people. For "his" righteousness' sake
Jehovah was well pleased, and rewarded with everlasting felicity the
unspotted purity of his works : "he" performed an unsinning olJedi-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 87
ence to every part of the law, and swerved not from its line in a sin-
gle instance : the rule was ever in his eye, and no temptation could
induce him to deviate from its direction ; like the light, he passed
through all things undefiled, and his garments were white as the
lily ; therefore a glorious kingdom was given unto him, forasmuch
as in him the piercing eye of heaven could discover no blemish at all.
25. With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful ; with an upright
man thou wilt show thyself upright : 26. With the pure thou wilt show thyself
pure ; and with the froicard thou wilt show thyself f reward : Heb. with the
perverse thou wilt wrestle, or, strive.
The reason is here assigned why God " recompensed Messiah ac-
cording to the cleanness of his hands," namely, because he is just, in
rendering to every one according to his Avorks. He who is " merci-
ful" to his brethren shall obtain the divine mercy ; he who is "up-
right" in his dealings with others, will have justice done him by the
great Judge, against his iniquitous oppressors; he who is "pure"
from deceit and hypocrisy in the service of his God, shall experience
in himself a faithful and exact performance of the promises which
God hath made to such ; but the man that is " froward," perverse,
and rebellious, must expect to grapple with an arm which will either
'humble or destroy. See Levit. xxvi. 3, 4, &c. 23, 24, <fec. ; 1 Kings
viii. 32 ; Prov. iii. 34.
27. For thou wilt save the afflicted, or, lowly, people : but wilt bring down
high looks.
" God resisteth the proud," saith an apostle, " and giveth grace
unto the humble ;" James iv. 6. • And, indeed, what is the covenant
of grace, but a covenant to humble pride, and to exalt humility ;
what was it, but the humility of Christ, that subdued the pride of
Satan ; and on what does the salvation of every man depend, but
on the issue of the contest between these two principles in his heart ?
28. For thou wilt, or, dost, light my candle, or, lamp : the Lord my God
will, or, does enlighten my darkness.
An instance of God's favour towards the lowly and afflicted was
the salvation vouchsafed to the suffering Jesus, who, hke David, af-
ter much tribulation and persecution, under which he sunk for a
time, even so low as to the grave itself, was exalted to glory and
honour. This change of condition is set forth by that of " a lamp,"
from a state of extinction to one of illumination, darkness being a
well-known emblem of sorrow and death, as light is the estabhshed.
symbol of life and joy. Remarkable are the words of the Chaldee
paraph rast upon this verse, cited by Dr. Hammond : — " Because thou
shalt enlighten the lamp of Israel, which is put out in the captivity,
for thou art the author of the light of Israel ; the Lord my God shall
lead me out of darkness into light, and shall make me see the con-
solation of the age which shall come to the just."
29. For by thee I have run through, or, broken, a troop : and by my God
have I leaped over a wall.
Through the power of his divmity, the Captain of our salvation
8S A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
vanquished the host of darkness, and escaped from the sepulchre,,
notwithstanding all their precautions to confine him there. Vain is
every effort, by whomsoever it is made, against the counsels of Om-
nipotence. And let us reflect, for our comfort, that they who could
not prevent the resurrection of Christ, cannot detain the soul of a
Christian in sin, or his body in the grave.
30. As for God^ his way is perfect : the word of the Lord is tried : he is a
buckler to all those that trust in him.
The "way" of God is in the course of his proceedings with men,
and its "perfection" consists in the equity of those proceedings; the
promises made in "the word Jehovah" to his servants, are " tried " in
times of aflSiction and persecution, as gold in the fire, and found pure
from any dross of deceit, or fallibility : he is ever a " shield" to pro-
tect " those who trust in him," during their stay here, until he be-
comes their " exceeding great reward" hereafter. All this he has
been to the head in order that he may be all this to the mernbers of
the church.
31. For who is God, save the Lord? Or who is a rock, save*our God?
"Jehovah" alone is the " God," or covenanted Saviour of his peo-
ple : he is the only " rock," on which they may securely build their
hope of heaven. Vain v^^ere the idols of the ancient world, Baal and.
Jupiter ; as vain are those of modern times, pleasure, honour, and
profit. They cannot bestow content, or make their votaries happy
below ; much less can they deliver from death, or open the everlast-
ing doors above.
32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
In this and the following verses are enumerated the gifts of God
to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is armed and prepared for the
batjLle, after the example of his victorious leader. God invests him
with "strength," or what the apostle calls "the spirit of might in the
inner man," as the loins of a soldier are braced by the military girdle ;
whence that of St. Paul, " having your loins girts about with truth."
He removes every thing that may impede his progress, until he ha»
accomplished his warfare, and finished his course in righteousness,
which seems to be what is meant by " making his way perfect."
33. He maketh my feet like hinds'* feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He endueth the affections, which are the feet of the soul, with
vigour and agilit)^, to run the way of his commandments, to sur-
mount every obstacle, and, with an activity hke that of the swift
hart, or the bounding roe, to conquer the steep ascent of the everlast-
ing hills, and gain the summit of the heavenly mountain. St. Paul
tells us how the feet must be shod, for this purpose, namely, " with
the preparation of the Gospel of peace."
34. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine-
arms.
He communicates a wisdom and a power which nothing can with-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 89
stand, instructing and enabling the combatant to overcome in the
conflict, to seize and render useless the weapons of the adversary.
St. Paul puts into the Christian warrior's hand, " the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God."
35. T^ou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation : and thy right hand
haih holden me up, and thy gentleness, or, thy afflictions, have made me
great.
The salvation of God is a defence against all temptations, to such
as believe in it ; whence St. Paul styles this piece of armour, the
shield of faith, " wherewith," says he, " ye may be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the devil." The "right hand" of God must sup-
port and sustain us at all times ; and the wholesome discipHne of the
Christian camp, the chastisements and corrections of our heavenly
Father, must train us up to true greatness, and prepare us for the
kingdom of heaven. The soldiers, like their great leader, must be
" made perfect through suflferings."
36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that, or, and, my feet did not
Blip.
In other words, God had opened a free course for him to victory
and triumph, and had also endued him with strength to run that
course ; thus removing the two mischievous effects of sin, which
not only precluded the way to heaven, but deprived us of the abihty
to travel in it.
37. / have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did Jturm
again till they were consumed. 38. / have wounded them that they were not
able to rise : they are fallen under my feet.
If we suppose David in his conquests to have prefigured victorious
Messiah, then have we, in these and the subsequent verses, a sub-
lime description of that vengeance which Jesus, after his resurrectioft
and ascension, inflicted on his hardened and impenitent enemies.
His wrath "pursued" and "overtook" them, in the day of visitation ;
nor did it return, till, like a devouring fire, it had " consumed " the
prey. The Jews were cast down, '• not able to rise," or lift up them-
selves as a people, being crushed under the feet of the once-despised
and insulted Nazarene. Let us reflect upon the impotence of our
spiritual adversaries, when Jesus declares war against them ; and
let us beseech him to conquer them in us, as he has conquered them
for us.
39. For thou, hast girded me with strength unto the battle; thou hast sub-
dued under me those that rose up against me. 40. Ttiou heist also given me
the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
With the almighty power of the Godhead was Jesus invested, by
which all enemies Avere subdued unto him ; the stiff " necks" of his
crucifiers were bowed under him, and utter destruction became the
portion of those who hated him, and had " sent after hira, saying,
We will not have this man to reign over us." So gird us thy sol-
diers and servants, O Lord Jesus, to the battle, and subdue under us^
90 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
by the power of thy grace, those that rise up against us, whether
they be our own corrupt desires, or the malicious spirits of darkness ;
so give us, hke another Joshua, the "necks" of these our enemies,
that we may destroy them that hate, and would destroy us.
41. TViey cried, hut there was none to save them ; even unto the Lord, hut
he ansxoered them not.
Never was there a more just and lively portrait of the lamentable
and desperate state of the Jews, when their calamities came upon
them. " They cried, but — none to save !" They had rejected him
who alone could save, and who was now about to destroy them.
They cried to Jehovah, and thought themselves still his favourite
nation ; but Jehovah and Jesus were one ; so that after putting the
latter from them, they could not retain the former on their side.
" He answered them not !" It was too late to knock when the door
was shut ; too late to cry for mercy when it was the time of justice.
Let us knock while yet the door may be opened ; and not begin to
pray, when prayer shall be no longer heard.
42. l\en did I heat them small as the du^t hefore the wind ; I did cast
them out as the dirt in the streets.
The nature of that judgment which was executed upon the Jews
cannot be more accurately delineated than by the two images here
made use of They were broken in pieces and dispersed over the
face of the earth by the breath of God's displeasure, like " dust be-
fore the wind ; and as dirt in the streets, they were cast out." to be
trodden under foot by all nations. O that every nation would so
consider, as to avoid their crime and their punishment !
43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people, and thou hast
made me the head of the heathen : a people whom / have not known shall
serve me.
If David was delivered from the strivings of the people ; if the
adjacent heathen nations were added to his kingdom, and a " people
whom he had not known, served him ;" how much more was this
the case of the Son of David, when he was " delivered," by his
resurrection, from the power of all his enemies ; when he was niade
" head of the heathen," of whom, after their conversion, his church
was, and, to this day is, composed ; and when, instead of the re-
jected Jews, a people to whom before he had not been known, be-
came his servants !
44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me : the strangers shall sub-
mit themselves unto me. 45. The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid
out of the close places.
" As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me ;" hereby is in-
timated the readiness with which the Gentiles should flow into the
church, upon the preaching of the gospel to them, when the Jews,
after having so long and so often heard it, had nailed Christ to the
cross, and driven the apostles out from among them. " The strangers
shall submit themselves unto me ;" the nations who were " aliens
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 91
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of
promise," either cordially submitted to the sceptre of Christ, or at
least dissembled their hostility, and yielded a feigned submission,
(for so the word ^PID sometimes signifies ;) " the strangers shall fade
away ;" that is, such of them as set themselves against me, shall
find their strength blasted and withered as a leaf in autumn, and
shall fall at the sound of my name and my victories ; "they shall
be afraid out of their close places ;" or rather, " they shall come
trembling from their strong holds," as places not able to protect them,
and therefoie they will sue for peace. Such seems to be the import
of these two verses, which therefore denote the conquest of Messiah
to have been every way complete. And accordingly, in the remain-
ing part of the Psalm, the church, through Christ her Head blesseth
Jehovah for the same.
46. The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my sal-
vation be exalted. 47. It is God that avengeth me, and snbdueth the people
under me. 43. He delivereth me from mine enemies : yea, thou liftest me up
above those that rise up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent
man.
In other words, " And now, the Lord God omnipotent liveth and
reigneth, for ever blessed and exalted, as the God of salvation : by
whom I am avenged of those who persecuted me, and am advanced
to empire ; my enemies are fallen, and my throne is established."
Thus we learn to trust in Jehovah without fear, when our enemies
are victorious, and tq glorify him without reserve, when we are so.
49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen,
and sing praises unto thy name.
Remarkable is the manner in which St. Paul cites this verse,
Rom. XV. 9. The context runs thus : " Now I say, that Jesus
Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers : and that the Gentiles
might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written. For this cause will I
confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." This
verse is by the apostle produced as a proof, that the Gentiles were
one day to glorify God, for the mercy vouchsafed them by Jesus
-Christ. But, according to the letter of the passage. King David
only says that he will give " thanks unto God among the heathen,"
on account of his own deliverance, and exaltation to the throne of
Israel ; for upon that occasion we know that he composed and sung
the Psalm. This citation brought by St. Paul, cannot therefore be
to the purpose for which it is brought, unless the Psalm have a
double sense ; unless God be glorified in it for the victory and in-
thronization of Christ, as well as for those of David ; and this can-
not be, unless the same words, which literally celebrate the one, do
hkewise prophetically celebrate the other ; unless David be a figure
of Christ, and speak in his person, and in that of his body, the
church. While this Psalm is used as a Christian hymn, in the
Gentile Christian church, David still continues, as he foresaw he
should do, " to give thanks unto Jehovah, to glorify God among the
9Z A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Gentiles," for the mercies of redemption, and to " sing praises unto
his name."*
50. Great deliverance giveih he to his king: and showeth mercy to his
anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
"Great deliverance giveth he to his king;" to king David, in
saving him from Saul, and his other temporal enemies, and seating
him on the earthly throne of Israel ; to King Messiah, in rescuing
him from death and the grave, and exalting him to an heavenly
throne, as head of the church : " and showeth mercy to his anointed ;"
to him who was anointed outwardly, and in a figure, with oil ; and
to him who was anointed inwardly, and in truth, with the Holy
Ghost and with power : " to David, and to his seed for evermore ;" to
the literal David, and to his royal progeny, of whom, according to
the flesh, Christ came ; and to Christ himself, the spiritual David,
the beloved of God, with all those who, through faith, become his
children, the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life.
FOURTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XIX.
ARGUMENT.— In the former part of this beautiful Psalm, ver. 1—6. the heavens
are represented as the instructors of mankind ; the subject, the universality, and the
manner of their instructions are pointed out ; the glory, beauty, and powerful effects
of the solar light are described. The latter part of the Psalm, 7 — 14. contains an
encomium on the word of God, in which its properties are enumerated ; and a prayer
of the Psalmist for pardoning and restraining grace, and for the acceptance of these
and all other his devotions and meditations. From a citation which St. Paul hath
made of the 4th verse, it appears, that in the exposition, we are to raise our thoughts
from things natural to things spiritual ; we are to contemplate the publication of the
gospel, the manifestation of the Light of Life, the Sun of Righteousness, and the effi-
cacy of evangelical doctrine. In this view the ancients have considered the Psalm,
and the church hath therefore appointed it to be read on Christmas-day.
1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his
handy work.
Under the name of "heaven," or "the heavens," is comprehended
that fluid mixture of light and air which is everywhere diffused about
us ; and to the influence of which are owing all the beauty and
fruitfulness of the earth, all vegetable and animal life, and the vari-
ous kinds of motion throughout the system of nature. By their
manifold and beneficial operations, therefore, as well as by their
beauty and magnificence, " the heavens declare the glory of God ;"
they point Him out to us, who, in Scripture language, is styled " the
glory of God ;" by whom themselves and all other things were made,
and are upholden ; and who is the author of every grace and bles-
* " This verse is applied in Rom. xv. 9. to the calling of the Gentiles unto the faith
of Christ, and praise unto God therefore. By which we are taught, that of Christ
and his kingdom, this Psalm is chiefly intended." — Ainsworth.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 93
sing to the sons of men : " the firmament," or expansion of the celes-
tial elements, wherever it extends, " showeth his handy work," not
only as the Creator, but likewise as the Redeemer of the w^orld. And
thus do the heavens afford inexhaustible matter for contemplation
and devotion, to the philosopher and to the Christian.
2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
The labours of these our instructors know no intermission, but
they continue incessantly to lecture us in the science of divine wis-
dom. There is one glory of the sun, which shines forth by day ;
and there are other glories of the moon and of the stars, which be-
come visible by night. And because day and night interchangeably
divide the world between them, they are therefore represented as
transmitting in succession, each to other, the task enjoined them,
like the two parts of a choir, chanting forth alternately the praises
of God. How does inanimate nature reproach us with our indo-
lence and indevotion !
3. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Our translators, by the words inserted in a different character,
have declared the sense of this passage to be, that there is no nation
or language, whither the instruction diffused by the heavens doth
not reach. But as the same thought is so fully expressed in the next
verse, " Their sound is gone out," (fee. it seems most advisable to ad-
here to the original, which runs literally thus : " No speech, no words,
their voice is not heard ;" that is, although the heavens are thus ap-
pointed to teach, it is not by articulate sounds that they do it ; they
are not endowed, like man, with the faculty of speech ; but they
address themselves to the mind of the intelligent beholder in another
way, and that, when understood, a no less forcible way, the way of
picture or representation. So manifold is the wisdom of God ; so
various are the ways by which he communicates it to men.
4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end
of the world.
The instruction which the heavens disperse abroad is universal as
their substance, which extends itself in " lines," or rays, " over all the
earth ;" by this means their " words," or rather, their " significant
actions"* and operations, are everywhere present, even "to the ends
of the world ;" and therelDy they preach to all nations the power and
wisdom, the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord. The apostles'
commission was the same with that of the heavens ; and St. Paul
(Rom. X. 18) has applied the natural images of this verse to the
manifestation of the light of life, by the sermons of those who were
sent forth for that purpose. He is speaking of those Jews who had
not obeyed the gospel. " But I say," argues he, " have they not
heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world." . As if he had said, they must
* DiT'bQ — The verb ^^12 (whence "'^Q words) is used for expressing the meaning by
signs. It has this sense Prov. vi. 13. ij^j^ii ^i)l73, speaking witli his foot.
94 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
have heard, since the apostles were commanded not to turn unto the
Gentiles, till they had published their glad tidings throughout Judea ;
but the knowledge of him is now become universal, and all flesh has
seen the glory of the Lord ; the light divine, like that in the heavens,
has visited the whole world, as the prophet David foretold in the
nineteenth Psalm. The apostle cannot be supposed to have made
use of this Scripture in a sense of accommodation only, because he
cites it among other texts which he produces merely as prophecies.
And if such be its meaning, if the heavens thus declare the glory of
God, and this is the great lesson they are incessantly teaching ; what
other language do they speak than that their Lord is the represent-
ative of ours, the bright ruler in the natural world of the more glori-
ous one in the spiritual, their sun of the " Sun of Righteousness ?"
But of this the following verses will lead us to speak more particu-
larly.
5. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom
coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
In the centre of the heavens there is a tent pitched by the Creator
for the residence of that most glorious of inanimate substances, the
solar light : from thence it issues with the beauty of a bridegroom^
and the vigour of a champion, to run its course, and perform its
operations. A tabernacle in like manner was prepared for him, who
saith of himself, " I am the hght of the world ;" John viii. 12. And
as the light of the sun goes out in the morning with inconceivable
activity, new and youthful in itself, and communicating life and
gaiety to all things around it, like a bridegroom, in the marriage-
garment, from his chamber to his nuptials ; so, at his incarnation,,
did the Light Divine, the promised Bridegroom, visit his church, be-
ing clad himself, and clothing her, with that robe of rig?iteousness
which is styled, in holy Scripture, the marriage-garment ; and the
joy which his presence administered, was, like the benefits of it, uni-
versal. And as the material light is always ready to run its hea-
venly race, daily issuing forth with renewed vigour, like an invinci-
ble champion still fresh to labour ; so Ukewise did he rejoice to run
his glorious race : he excelled in strength, and his works were great
and marvellous ; he triumphed over the powers of darkness ; he
shed abroad on all sides his bright beams upon his church ; he be-
came her deliverer, her protector and support : and showed himself
able in every respect to accomphsh for her the mighty task he had
undertaken. What a marvellous instrument of the Most High is
the sun at his rising, considered in this view !
6. His going forth is from, the end of heaven, and his circuit unto the ends
of it ; and there is nothing hid from the heat thej^eof
The light diffused on every side from its fountain, extendeth ta
the extremities of heaven, filling the whole circle of creation, pene-
trating even to the inmost substances of grosser bodies, and acting
in and through all other matter, as the general cause of life and
motion. Thus unbounded and efficacious, was the influence of the
A COMMENTARY O^ THE PSALMS- 95
Sun of Righteousness, when he sent out word, enhghtening and en-
hvening all things by the glory of his grace. His celestial rays, like
those of the sun, took their circuit round the earth ; they went forth
out of Judea into all parts of the habitable world, and there was no
corner of it so remote as to be without the reach of their penetrating
and hej-iing power. " The Lord gave the word, great was the
coiijpany of those that published it:" Psalm Ixviii. 11. It was the
express declaration of our Saviour himself, " This gospel of the king-
dom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations,
and then shall the end come :" Matt. xxiv. 14. And St. Paul af-
firms, that the gospel was " come unto all the world, and had been
preached to every creature under heaven :" Col. i. 6, and 23. The
prophet, therefore, having thus foretold the mission of the apostles,
and the success of their ministry, proceeds in the next place, to de-
scribe their " doctrine ;" so that what follows is a fine encomium upon
the gospel, written with all the simplicity peculiar to the sacred lan-
guage, and in a strain far surpassing the utmost efforts of human
eloquence.
7. The law, or, doctrine, of the Lord is perfect, converting' or, restoring, the
soul : the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The word of God, in this and the following verses, has several most
valuable properties ascribed to it. It is perfectly well adapted, in
every particular, to " convert," to restore, to bring back " the soul "
from error to truth, from sin to righteousness, from sickness to health,
from death to life ; as it convinces of sin, it holds forth a Saviour ;
it is a means of grace, and a rule of conduct. It giveth wisdom,
and by wisdom stability, to those who might otherwise, through
ignorance and weakness, be easily deceived and led astray ; " it is
sure," certain and infalhble in its directions and informations, " ma-
king wise the simple."
8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart : the command-
ment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
To those who study the righteousness of God therein communi-
cated to. man, it becometh a never-failing source of consolation and
holy joy ; the conscience of the reader is cleansed by the blood, and
rectified by the Spirit, of Christ ; and such a conscience is a con-
tinual feast : " the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart."
The divine word resembleth the light in its brightness and purity,
by which are unvejled and manifested to the eyes of the understand-
ing, the wonderful works and dispensations of God, the state of man,
the nature of sin, the way of salvation, the joys of heaven, and the
pains of hell : " the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening
the eyes."
9. The fear of the LiOrd is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the
Lor<l are true and righteous altogether.
" The fear of ihe liOrd," which restrains from transgressing that
law by which it is bred in the heart, is in its effect a preservative of
mental purity : and in the duration both of its effect and its reward
^6 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
eternal ; it " endureth for ever." " The judgments of the Lord are,"
not like those of men, oftentimes wrong and unjust, but all his de-
terminations in his word are "truth and righteousness united" in
perfection.
10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than Ttmch fine gold ; sweeter
also than honey, and the honeycomb.
What wonder is it, that this converting, instructing, exhilarating,
enlightening, eternal, true, and righteous word, should be declared
preferable to the riches of eastern liings, and sweeter to the soul of
the pious behever, than the sweetest thing we know of is to the bod-
ily taste ? How ready we are to acknowledge all this ! Yet, the
next hour perhaps, we part with the true riches to obtain the earthly
mammon, and barter away the joys of the spirit for the gratifications
of sense ! Lord, give us affections towards thy word in some mea-
sure proportioned to its excellence ; for we can never love too much
what we can never admire enough.
11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping them there
is great reward.
The Psalmist here bears his own testimony to the character above
given of the divine word ; as if he had said, The several parts of
this perfect law, hereafter to be published to the whole race of man-
kind, have been all along my great instructors, and the only source
of all the knowledge to which thy servant hath attained ; and I
am fully assured that the blessed fruit of them, when they are duly
observed, and have their proper efiect, is exceeding glorious, even
eternal life.
12. Who can understand his errors 7 Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
The perfection and spirituahty of God's law render it almost im-
possible for a fallen son of Adam even to know all the innumerable
instances of his transgressing it. Add to which, that false princi-
ples and inveterate prejudices make us regard many things as inno-
cent, and some things as laudable, which, in the eye of heaven, are
far otherwise. Self-examination is a duty which few practise as
they ought to do : and he who practises it best, will always have
reason to conclude his particular confessions with this general peti-
tion, " Cleanse thou me from secret faults !"
13. Keep back Ihy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have
dominion over me : tJien shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the
great transgression.
In the preceding verse, David had implored God's pardoning
grace, to cleanse him from the secret sins of ignorance and infirmity:
in this he begs his restraining grace, to keep him back from pre-
sumptuous sins, or sins committed knowingly, deliberately, and with
a high hand, against the convictions and the remonstrances of con-
science : he prays that such sins might not " have dominion over
him," or that he might not, by contracting evil habits, become the
slave of an imperious lust, which might at length lead him on to
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 97
I
^' the great transgression," to rebellion, and final apostacy from God ;
for he who would be innocent from the " great transgression," must
beware of indulging himself in any.
14. Let the words of my mouth, and the 'meditation of my heart, be accepia^
ble in thy sight, O Lord, 7ny strength and my Redeemer.
The prophet, having before solicited the justification of his person
through grace, concludes with a petition for the acceptance of all his
offerings, and more especially of these his meditations, at the hands
of that Blessed One, whom he addresses as the author of all good,
and the dehverer from all evil ; as the "strength" and the "Re-
deemer" of his people.*
PSALM XX.
-ARGUMENT. — 1 — 4. The church prayeth for the prosperity of King Messiah, going
forth to the battle, as her champion and deliverer ; for his acceptance by the Father,
and for the accomplishment of his will ; 5, 6, 7. She declareth her full assurance of
faith, and her resolution to trust in him alone, and not in the arm of flesh. 8. She
foreseeth the fall of her enemies, and her own exaltation ; and, 9. concludeth with
a prayer to the God of her strength.
1. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob
defend thee.
This may be considered as the address of a people to their king,
when he goeth forth to the battle against their enemies. But it is
to be regarded in a more general and useful view, as the address of
the church to Christ her King, in " the day of his trouble." She
prayeth for the happy accomplishment of his warfare, " through the
name of the God of Jacob," dwelhng in him. And his warfare,
though accomplished in his own person, still remaineth to be accom-
plished in his people, until the last enemy shall be destroyed, and
death shall be swallowed up in victory. It is still " the day of
trouble ;" still " the name of the God of Jacob" must " defend" the
body of Christ.
2. Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen fhee out of Sion.
All help and strength, in the time of danger and sorrow, must be
obtained by prayer from the heavenly Sion which is in the Jerusa-
lem above, and from the eternal temple thereon constructed. By
this " help and strength," the Captain of our salvation conquered ;
and the church, with all her sons, must conquer through the same.
* If the reader shall have received any pleasure from perusing the Comment on the
foregoing Psalm, especially the first part of it, he is to be informed, that he stands in-
debted on that account to a discourse entitled, Christ the Light of the World, published
in the year 1750, by the late Rev. Mr. George Watson, for many years the dear com-
panion and kind director of the author's studies ; in attending to whose agreeable and
instructive conversation he has often passed whole days together, and shall always have
reason to number them among the best spent days of his life; whose death he can
never think of without lamenting it 'afresh ; and to whose memory he embraces, with,
pleasure, this opportunity to pay the tribute of a grateful heart.
13
98 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice.
As Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up, not only prayers
and tears, but, at length, his own most precious body and blood ;
the church here prays, that the great propitiatory sacrilice may be had
in everlasting remembrance before God, and the merits of it be con-
tinually pleaded in arrest of judgment, and accepted for herself and
her children.
4. Grant thee, according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
The desire of Christ's heart, and the counsel of his will, was, that
he might die for our sins, and rise again for our justification ; that
the gospel might be preached, the Gentiles called, the Jews converted,
the dead raised, and the elect glorified. That this his " desire might
be granted," and this his " counsel be fulfilled," the church of old
prayed ; and the church now prayeth for the accomplishment of that
which yet remains to be accomplished.
5. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set
up our banners : the hord fulfil all thy petitions.
The joy of the church is in the salvation of Christ ; and the joy
of every individual is in the application of that salvation to himself^
and all around him. In the name of Jesus, and under the banner
of the cross, the armies of the faithful undertake and carry on all
their enterprises against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The
prospect of the glorious fruits of Christ's victory caused the church to
redouble her prayers, that he might be heard in his "petitions" for
mankind, and might see of the travail of his soul.
6. Now knmo I that the Lord saveth his anointed ; he will hear him from
his holy heaven, with tJie saving strength of his right hand.
The assurance of the ancient church was built on the prophecies
going before concerning the salvation of Messiah. Our assurance is
Btrengthened by the actual performance of so great a part of the
counsel of God. We know that the Lord has " saved his Anointed :''
that his Anointed saveth all, who believe and obey him, from their
sins; and therefore we doubt not but that, "by the strength of his
right hand," or b^ the excellency of his power, he will finally save
them from death, and rescue them from the grave.
7. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses ; but we will remember the nayrn
of the Lord our God.
This should be the resolution of every Christian king and people,
in the day of battle. And, in the spiritual war in which we are all
engaged, the first and necessary step to victory is, to renounce all
confidence in the wisdom and strength of nature and the world ; and
to remember, that we can do nothing, but in the name, by the merits,
through the power, and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and our
God.
8. 'I%ey are brought down and fallen; but we are risen, and statui, upright.
This was eminently the case, when the pride and power of Jewish
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. W
infidelity and Pagan idolatry fell before the victorious sermons and
lives of the humble believers in Jesus : this is the case in every con-
flict with our spiritual enemies, when we engage them in the name,
the spii it, and the power of Christ ; and this will be the case at the
last day, when the world, with the prince of it, shall be " brought
down, and fall ; but we, risen " from the dead through the resurrec-
rection of our Lord, shall "stand upright" in the courts of heaven
and sing the praises of him who getteth us all our victories.
9. Save^ Lord : let the king hear us wheoi we call.
Thus the Psalm concludes, as it began, with a general " Hosanna"
of the church, praying for the prosperity and success of the then fu-
ture Messiah, and for her own salvation in him, her King : who from
the grave and gate of death, was, for this end, to be exalted to the
right hand of the majesty in the heavens, that he might hear, and
present to his Father, the prayers of his people, " when they call
upon him."
PSALM XXL
ARGUMENT. — This is one of the proper Psalms which the church hath appointed to
be used on Ascension-day, and wherein, 1 — 6. she celebrates the victory of her Re-
deemer, and the glory consequent thereupon ; she prophesies, 7. the stability of his
kingdom, and, 8 — 12. the destruction of the enemies thereof; concluding with a
prayer for his final triumph and exaltation ; the celebration of which, with everlast-
ing hallelujahs, will be her employment in heaven.
1. The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord j and in thy salvation how
greatly shall he rejoice !
The joy of Christ himself, after his victory, is in the strength and
salvation of Jehovah, manifested thereby. Such ought to be the joy
of his disciples, when God hath enabled them to vanquish their ene-
mies, either temporal or spiritual ; in which latter case, as they are
called kings, and said to reign with Christ, so they are in duty bound
to acknowledge that they reign by him : " He that glorieth," what-
ever the occasion be, " let him glory in the Lord."
2. 7^0?^ hast given him his hearVs desire, and hast not withholden tlie re-
quest of his lips.
The desire of Christ's heart was his own resurrection and exalta-
tion, for the benefit of his church : and now he ever liveth to make
*' request with his lips," for the conversion and salvation of sinners.
Such desires will be granted, and such requests will never be with-
holden. Let us be careful to frame ours after that aU-perfect model
of divine love.
3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness; thou settest a
crown of pure gold on his head.
The Son of God could not be more ready to ask for the blessings
100 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
of the divine goodness, than the Father was to give them : and his
disposition is the same towards all his adoped sons. Christ, as king
and priest, weareth a crown of glory, represented by the purest and
most resplendent of metals, gold. He is pleased to esteem his saints,
excelling in different virtues, as the rubies, the sapphires, and the
emeralds Avhich grace and adorn that crown. Who would not be
ambitious of obtaining a place therein !
4. He asked life of thee, and, thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever
and ever.
The hfe, asked by Christ, was not a continuance in this valley of
tears, but that new and eternal life consequent upon a resurrection
from the dead. For thus his petition was granted in " length of days
for ever and ever." " He died no more ; death had no more domin-
ion over him." Whose disciples then are they that wish only to
have their days prolonged upon the earth, forgetful of the life which
is hid with Christ in God ?
5. His glory is great in thy salvation : honour and majesty hast thou laid
upon him.
What tongue can express the " glory, honour, and majesty," with
which the King of righteousness and peace was invested, upon his
ascension ; when he took possession of the throne prepared for him,
and received the homage of heaven and earth ! The sacred ima-
gery in St. John's Revelation sets them before our eyes in such a
manner, that no one can read the description, whose heart will not
burn within him, through impatient desire to behold them. See Rev.
chap. iv. vii. xix. xxi. xxii.
6. For thou ha^t made him most blessed, Heb. set him. to be blessings,* for
ever : thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
Christ, by his death and passion, having removed the curse, be-
came the fountain of all blessings to his people, in time and eternity;
being himself the blessing promised to Abraham, and the object of
the patriarchial benedictions. The joy communicated to the hu-
manity of our Lord, from the divine nature, shall be shed abroad on
all his saints, when admitted to view " the countenance of God" in
the face of Jesus Christ. Then they shall enter into " the joy of
their Lord."
7. For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most
High he shall not be moved.
The throne of Christ, as a man, was erected and established, by
his trust and confidence in the Father, during his humiliation and
passion. Faith in God, therefore, is the way that leadeth to honour
and stability. " Look at the generations of old, and see : did ever
any trust in the Lord and was confounded ?" Eccles. ii. 10.
* " Nam posuisti eum in secula benedicendura." Houbigant. Compare Gen. xu. 2L
Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 101
8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies ; thy right hand shall find
out those that hate thee.
The same right hand of Jehovah is glorious in power to save his
people, and to destroy his enemies ; to convert the Gentiles, and to
crush the Jews ; to exalt the faithful to heaven, and cast down the
unbelieving to hell : neither is there any treason against the King
of heaven, which shall not be dragged forth into the hght, made
manifest, judged, and condemned. Let thy hand, O Lord, be upon
our sins to destroy them ; but upon us, to save us.
9. T%ou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger : the
Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
"The time of God's anger" often begins in this hfe, especially
towards the close of it, when an evil conscience w^ithin, like flame
confined in an " oven," torments the sinner, as a prelude to punish-
ments future and unknown, which the "wrath" of God is preparing
to inflict on the incorrigible and impenitent. Let us so meditate on
this sad scene, that w^e may have no part in it.
10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from
among the children of men.
A day is coming, when all the "fruits" of sin, brought forth by
sinners, in their words, their writings, and their actions, shall be
"destroyed ;" yea, the tree itself, which had produced them, shall be
rooted up, and cast into the fire. The "seed" and posterity of the
wicked, if they continue in the way of their forefathers, will be pun-
ished like them. Let parents consider, that upon their principles
and practices may depend the salvation or destruction of multitudes
after them. The case of the Jews, daily before their eyes, should
make them tremble.
11. For they intended evil against thee ; they imagined a mischievous rfg-
vice, which tliey are not able to perform.
Vengeance came upon the Jews to the uttermost, because of their
intended malice against Christ. They, hke Joseph's brethren,
" thought evil against him ;" but " they were not able to perform
it ;" " for God meant it unto good, to bring it to pass, as it is this
day, to save much people alive :" Gen. i. 20. So let all the designs
of ungodly men against thy church, O Lord, through thy power of
bringing good out of evil, turn to her advantage : and let all men be
convinced, that no Aveapon formed against thee can prosper.
12. Therefore shalt than make them turn their back, or, thou shall set them
as a butt, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against
the face of them.
The judgments of God are called his " arrows," being sharp, swift,
sure, and deadly. What a dreadful situation, to be set as a mark, and
" butt," at which these arrows are directed ! View Jerusalem en-
compassed by the Roman armies without, and torn to pieces by the
animosity of desperate and bloody factions within. No further com-
mentary is requisite upon this verse. " Tremble, and repent," is the
102 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
inference to be drawn by every Christian community under heaven,
in which appear the symtoms of degeneracy and apostacy.
13. Be thou exalted^ Lord, in thine own strength; so will we sing", and
praise thy power.
The church concludes with a joyful acclamation to her Redeemer,
wishing for his " exaltation in his own strength," as God, who was
to be abased in much weakness, as man. We still continue to
wish and pray for his exaltation over sin, in the hearts of his people
by grace, and finally over death, in their bodies, by his glorious
power at the resurrection. The triumph over sin we sing in psalms,
and hymns, and spiritual songs, upon earth ; that over death, we
shall praise with everlasting hallelujahs, in heaven.
FOURTH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XXII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, which the church hath appointed to be used on Good
Friday, as our Lord uttered the first verse of it when hanging on the cross, consisteth
of two parts. The former, 1 — 21. treateth of the passion ; the latter, 22 — 31. cele-
brateth the resurrection of Jesus, with its effects. 1, 2. He complaineth of being
forsaken ; 3 — 6. acknowledgeth the holiness of the Father, and pleadeth the former
deliverances of the church ; 6 — 8. describeth his humiliation, with the taunts and re-
proaches of the Jews; 9 — 11. expresseth his faith, and prayeth for help; 12 — 18.
particularizeth his sufferings ; 19 — 21. repeateth his supplications ; 22 — 25. declareth
his resolution to praise the Father for his deliverance, and exhorteth his church to do
the same ; 26 — 31. prophesieth the conversion of the Gentile world to the faith and
worship of the true God.
1. My God, my God, why hast thon forsaken me ? why art thou so far
from helping me, and from the words of my roaring 7
Christ, the beloved Son of the Father, when hanging on the cross
complained in these words, that he was deprived, for a time, of the
divine presence and comforting influence, while he suffered for our
sins. If the master thus underwent the trial of a spiritual deser-
tion, why doth the disciple think it strange, unless the light of hea-
ven shine continually upon his tabernacle ? Let us comfort our-
selves, in such circumstances, with the thought, that we are thereby
conformed to the image of our dying Lord, that sun which set in a
cloud, to arise without one.
2. O my God, 1 cry in the day-time, hut thou hear est not ; and in the night
season, and am not silent.
Even our Lord himself, as man, prayed, " that if it were possible,
the cup might pass from him ;" but God had ordained otherwise, for
his own glory, and for man's salvation. " Day and night," in pros-
perity and adversity, living and dying, let us not be " silent," but cry
for dehverance ; always remembering to add, as Christ did, " Never-
theless, not my will, but thine be done." Nor let any man be im-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. " 103
patient for the return of his prayers, since every petition preferred
even by the Son of God himself was not granted.
3. Bat thou art holy, O thou that inhahitest the praises of Israel.'^
Whatever befalleth the members of the church, the head thereof
here teacheth them to confess the justice and hohness of God in all
his proceedings ; and to acknowledge, that whether he exalteth or
humbleth his people, he is to be praised and glorified by them.
4. Oar fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them,
"Trust" in God is the way to "deliverance," and the former in-
stances of the divine favour are so many arguments why we should
hope for the same ; but it may not always be vouchsafed, when we
expect it. The patriarchs and Israelites of old were often saved from
their enemies : the holy Jesus is left to languish and expire under
the malice of his. God knows what is proper for him to do, and for
us to suffer ; we know neither. This consideration is an anchor for
the afflicted soul, sure and steadfast.
5. They cried unto thee^ and were delivered : they trusted in thee, and were
not confounded.
No argument is of more force with God, than that which is founded
upon an appeal to his darling attribute of mercy, and to the mani-
festation of it formerly made to persons in distress ; for which reason
it is here repeated, and dwelt upon. They who would obtain grace
to help in time of need, must "cry" as well as "trust." The
^' prayer of faith " is mighty with God, and (if we may use the ex-
pression) overcometh the Omnipotent.
6. But /am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the
people.
He who spareth all other men, spared not his own Son ; he
spared not him, that he might spare them. The Redeemer of the
world scrupled not to compare himself, in his state of humiliation, to
the lowest reptile which his own hand had formed, a "worm," hum-
ble, silent, innocent, overlooked, oppressed, and trodden under foot.
Let the sight of this reptile teach us humility,
7. 8. All they that see me laugh me to scorn : they shoot out the lip, they shake
the head, saying He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him; let him,
deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
This was literally fulfilled, when Messiah hung upon the cross,
and the priests and elders used the very words that had been put
into their mouths, by the spirit of prophecy, so long before. Matt,
xxvii. 41 — 53. " The chief priests mocking him, with the scribes
and elders, said, He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now, if he
will have him." O the wisdom and foreknowledge of God: the in-
fatuation and blindness of man ! The same are too often the senti-
ments of those who live in times when the church and her righteous
♦ Or, perhaps, as Bishop Lowth renders it, " Thou that inhabitest ^NTTDi niJjDh,
the irradiations, the glory of Israel." See Merrick's Annotations on the Psalms, p. 43
104 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
cause, with their advocates, are under the cloud of persecution, and '
seem to sink beneath the displeasure of the powers of the world.
But such do not believe, or do not consider, that, in the Christian
economy, death is followed by a resurrection, when it will appear^
that God forsaketh not them that are his, but they are preserved for
ever.
9, 10. But thou art he that took me out of the womb : thou didst make me
hope when 1 was upon my mother^s breasts. I was cast upon thee from the
womb : thou art my God from my mother^s belly.
This was eminently the case of Christ, who was the Son of God
in a sense in which no other man ever Avas. But in him we are all
children of God by adoption ; we are all in the hands of a gracious
Providence from the womb ; and into those hands must we commend
ourselves, when about to depart hence. To whom else, then, should
we have recourse, for support and consolation, in the day of calamity
and sorrow ?
11. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is 7ione to help.
From the foregoing considerations, namely, from the holiness of
God, ver. 3, from the salvation vouchsafed to the people of old time,
ver. 4, 5, from the low estate to which Messiah was reduced, ver. 6,
7, 8, and from the watchful care of the Father over him, since his
miraculous birth, ver. 9, 10, from all these considerations, he enforceth
his petition for help, during his unparalleled sufferings, when " all
forsook him, and fled." Let us treasure up these things in our hearts,
against the hour when " trouble shall be near, and there shall be
none to help ;" when all shall forsake us, but God, our consciences,
and our prayers.
12, 13. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset
me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths^ as a ravening and a roar-
ing lion.
From the eleventh verse to the nineteenth the sufferings of the
holy Jesus are described, in terras partly figurative, and partly literal.
A lamb, in the midst of wild '' bulls and lions," is a very lively re-
presentation of his meekness and innocence, and of the noise and
fury of his implacable enemies. "Bashan" was a fertile country,
Numb, xxxii. 4, and the cattle there fed, were fat and "strong."
Deut. xxxii. 14. Like them the Jews, in that good land, " waxed
fat and kicked," grew proud and rebelled ; " forsook God that made
them, and lightly esteemed the rock of their salvation." Let both
communities and individuals, when blessed with peace, plenty, and
prosperity in the world, take sometimes into consideration this fla-
grant instance of their being abused ; with the final consequence of
such abuse.
14, 15. / am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, or, sur-
rendered: my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My
strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; and
thou hast brought m£ into the dust of death.
For our sakes Christ yielded himself like " water," without resis-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 105
tance, to the violence of his enemies ; suffering his "bones" in which
consisteth the strength of the frame, to be distended, and dislocated
upon the cross ; while by reason of the fire from above, to the burn-
ing heat of which this paschal Lamb was exposed, his heart dis-
solved and melted away. The intenseness of his passion drying up
all the fluids, brought on a thirst, tormenting beyond expression ;
and, at last, laid him low in the grave. Never, blessed Lord, was
love like unto thy love ! Never was sorrow like unto thy sorrow !
Thy spouse and body mystical, the church, is often, in a degree,
conformed unto thee ; and as thou wert, so she is in this world.
16. For dogs have compassed me : the assembly of the wicked have enclosed
me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Our Lord, who compared himself above, ver. 12, to a lamb in the
midst of bulls and lions, here setteth himself forth again under the
image of a hart, or hind, roused early in the morning of his mortal
life, hunted and chased all the day, and in the evening pulled down
to the ground, by those who "compassed" and "enclosed" him,
thirsting and clamouring for his blood, crying, "Away with him,
away with him ! crucify him, crucify him !" And the next step
was, the " piercing his hands and his feet," by nailing them to the
cross. How often, O thou Preserver of men, in thy church, thy
ministers, and thy word, art thou thus compassed, and thus pierced !
17. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
The skin and flesh were distended, by the posture of the body
on the cross, that the bones, as through a thin veil, became visible,
and might be counted ;* and the holy Jesus forsaken and stripped,
naked and bleeding, was a spectale to heaven and earth. Look
unto him, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the world !
18. T%ey part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
" The soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus took his garments,
and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also his coat ; now
the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They
said therefore among themselves. Let us not rend it, but cast lots for
it, whose it shall be ; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which
saith. They parted my raiment among them, and, for my vesture
they did cast lots." John. xix. 23, 24.
19. Bui be not thou far from me, O Lord ; O my strength, haste thee to
help me.
The circumstances of the passion being thus related, Christ re-
sumes the piayer with which the Psalm begins, and which is re-
peated, ver. 10, 11. The adversary had emptied his quiver, and
spent all the venom of his malice ; Messiah therefore prayeth for a
* " Qui macilenti sunt, sic habent ossa prominentia, ut facile omnia possint tactu
secerni et nurnerari. David quatenus haec ei conveiiiunt, dicere hoc potuit de se fuga
et moiestiis emaciato. Sed Christus aptius ita loqui poterat, quod magis emaciatus es-
set, et corpore nudo atqne in cruce distento, magis adparrent ossa." Le Clerc, cited
be Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.
4
106 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
manifestation of the power and favour of heaven on his side, in a
joyful and glorious resurrection. And to resurrection from the dead
every man will find it necessary to look forward for comfort.
20, 21. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling* from the power of the
dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me, or, and hear
thou me, from the horns of the unicorns.
The wrath of God was the " sword," which took vengeance on all
men in their representative; it was the "flaming sword," which
kept men out of paradise ; the sword to which it was said, at the
time of the passion, " Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and
against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts : smite
the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered :" Zech. xiii. 7; Matt,
xxvi. 31. The ravening fury of the " dog," the " lion," and the " uni-
corn," or the " oryx," a fierce and untameable creature of the stag
kind, is made use of to describe the rage of the devil and his instru-
ments, whether spiritual or corporeal. From all these Christ suppli-
cates the Father for deliverance. How great need have we to suppli-
cate for the same, through him ?
22. / will declare thy nafne unto my brethren ; in the midst of the congre-
gation will I praise thee.
The former part of the Psalm we have seen to be prophetical of
the passion. The strain now changes to an epinikion, or hymn of
triumph, in the mouth of the Redeemer, celebrating his victory, and
its happy consequences. This verse is cited by the apostle, Heb.
ii. 11. "Both he that sanctified, and they who are sanctified, are
all of one ; for which cause He is not ashamed to call them breth- *
ren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren," &c. And
accordingly, when the deliverance, so long wished, and so earnestly
prayed for, was accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus from the
dead, he " declared the name of God," by his apostles, to all his
" brethren ;" and caused the church to resound with incessant praises
and hallelujahs ; all which are here represented as proceeding from
the body, by and through him who is the head of that body.
23. t Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify
Mm; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
If Christ arose from the dead, to declare salvation to his breth-
ren, and to glorify God for the same, how diligent ought we to be in
doing the former ; how delighted in the performance of the latter !
Messiah first addressed himself to his ancient people, " the seed of
Jacob," to whom the gospel was first preached. How long, O Lord,
holy and true, shall thy once highly favoured nation continue deaf
• Heb. ''!T''T'n'' my united one. " May it relate to any thing more than "^TD&J ? the '
human nature united with the Divinity in the person of Christ? Quaere." Bishop
Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations.
t Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that this verse and the following are the " song " of
praise, which in the verse preceding, the speaker says, he will utter " in the congrega-
tion." The introduction of it, as his lordship justly observes, gives a variety to the
whole, and is highly poetical. Merrick's Annotationa
• A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 10^
to this gracious call of thine ! " All ye seed of Jacob glorify him ;
and fear him all ye seed of Israel."
24. F(yr he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted /
neither hath he hid his face from him ; hut when he cried unto him^ he
heard.
The great subjects of praise and thanksgiving, in the church, are
the sufferings of the lowly and afflicted Jesus, and the acceptance
of those sufferings by the Father, as a propitiation for the sins of the
world ; which acceptance was testified by raising him from the dead ;
inasmuch as the discharge of the surety proved the payment of the
debt. The poor and afflicted brethren of Christ may take comfort
from this verse ; for if they suffer in his spirit, they will be raised in
his glory.
25. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation : I will pay my
vows before them that fear him.
The vow of Christ was, to build and consecrate to Jehovah a
spiritual temple, in which the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise
should be continually offered. This vow he performed after his res-
urrection, by the hands of his apostles, and still continueth to perform,
by those of his ministers, carrying on the work of edification in
*' the great congregation " of the Gentile Christian church. The vows
of Christ cannot fail of being performed. Happy are they whom
he vouchsafeth to use, as his instruments, in the performance of
them.
26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied : they shaU praise the Lord that seek
him : your heart shall live for ever.
A spiritual banquet is prepared in the church for the meek and
lowly of heart ; the bread of hfe and the wine of salvation are set
forth in the word and sacraments ; and they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness, shall be " satisfied" therewith : they '• who seek"
the Lord Jesus in his ordinances, ever find reason to " praise him ;"
while, nourished by these noble and heavenly viands, they live the
life, and work the works of grace, proceeding still forward to glory ;
when their " heart shall five for ever," in heaven. .
27. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto the Lord : and
all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
The great truths of man's creation and fall, with the promise of a
Redeemer to come, were " forgotten" by the nations, after their apos-
tacy from the true God, and the one true religion ; but were, as we
may say, recalled to their " remembrance," by the sermons of the
apostles, and the writings of Moses and the prophets, translated, and
spread among them. By these they were converted to the faith, and
now compose the holy church universal throughout the world ; be-
ing the glorious proofs and fruits of the resurection of Jesus from the
dead.
108 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
28. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the na-
tions.
There is good reason why the nations should worship Christ, and
throw away their idols ; since in his hand, not in theirs, is the
government of the world. Upon his ascension he was crowned King
of kings, and Lord of lords : he ruleth in the church by his Spirit ;
and blessed are the hearts that are his wilhng subjects ifi the day of
his power.
29. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship : all they that go
down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
It Avas said above, ver. 26, "the meek," the poor, and lowly,
" shall eat and be satisfied." It is here foretold, that the " fat ones
of the earth," the great, the opulent, the flourishing, the nobles and
princes of the world, should be called in to partake of the feast, and
to " worship" God. Rich, as well as poor, are invited ;* and the hour
is coming, when all the race of Adam, as many as sleep in the "dust"
of the earth, unable to raise themselves from thence, quickened and
called forth by the voice of the Son of man, must " bow" the knee
to King Messiah.
30. A seed shall serve him: it shall be accounted to the Lord for a genera-
tion.
The apostle informeth us, Rom. ix. 8, that " the children of the
promise are counted for the seed ;" that is, the converts to be made
among the nations, by the preaching of the gospel, according to the
promise to Abraham ; these were to constitute the church and family
of Christ, the "generation" of the faithful; these were to take the
place, and enjoy the privileges of the Jews, cut off because of their
unbelief Lord, enable us to serve thee all our lives, with a service
acceptable to thee in Christ Jesus ; that at the resurrection of the just
we may be numbered in the generation of thy children.
31. They shall com£^ and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that
shall be born, that he hath done this.
The promised and expected race shall spring forth at the time ap-
pointed, and proclaim the " righteousness," which is of God, by faith,
to ages and generations yet unborn : who, hearing of that great
work, which the iiord shall have wrought for the salvation of men,
will thereby be led to glorify him in the church, for the same, to the
end of time.
Rise, crown'd with light, imperial Salem, rise ;
Exalt thy tow'mg head, and lift thy eyes.
* They are *' invited," but they do not so often accept the invitation. And it must
be owned, that 3>"*'K "'STCn are generally mentioned in an unfavourable sense. Bishop
Iiowth is therefore rather inclined to construe the words, as Mr. Fenwick does ; all
who are " fattened," that is, " fed " and " sustained by the earth." The expression
then intimates the universality of the gospel, which, the apostle says " was preached to
every creature ;" a phrase of similar import. All who would partake the benefits of
Christ's passion, must worship him as a Saviour, before they are called upon to adore
him as a judge. The bishop thinks, likewise, that the twenty-ninth verse should end
with the words, " bow before him ;" that the next words in the original should be read,
as almost all the ancient versions seem to have read them, in'^ii 1^ '•'iDDSI and ren-
.dered — " But my soul shall live — My seed shall serve him," &c.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 109
See a long race thy spacious courts adorn ;
See future sons, and daughters yet unborn,
In crowding ranks, on ev'ry side arise.
Demanding Hfe, impatient for the skies.
See barb'rous nations at thy gates attend,
Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend. — Messiah.
PSALM XXIII.
ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm, the " sheep of God's pasture " address themselves to
their great and good Shepherd, declaring, 1. their acquiescence and confidence in
him; 2. his diligence in feeding them with the food of eternal life ; 3. his watchful
care in bringing them back from the ways of error, and conducting them in the path
of truth ; 4. his power in saving them from death ; 5. his loving-kindness in vouch-
safing his spiritual comforts, during their pilgrimage in an enemy's country ; and, 6.
they express their hope and trust, that a continuation of that loving-kindness, will
enable them to pass through the vanities and vexation of time, to the blissful glories
of eternity.
2. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
In these words, which one cannot utter without feeHng the happi-
ness they were intended to describe, the beUever is taught to express
his absolute acquiescence and complacency, in the guardian care of
the great Pastor of the universe, the Redeemer and preserver of men.
With joy he reflects, that he hath a " Shepherd ;" and that that
shepherd is Jehovah, one possessed of all the qualities requisite to
constitute the pastoral character in the highest perfection. For
where shall we ever find such unexampled diligence, such inexpres-
sible tenderness, such exquisite skill, such all-subduing might, and
such unwearied patience? Why should they fear, who have such
a friend? How can they "want," who have such a "Shepherd?"
Behold us, O Lord Jesus, in ourselves hungry, and thirsty, and fee-
ble, and diseased, and defenceless, and lost. O feed us, and cherish
us, and heal us, and defend us, and bear with us, and restore us !
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : he leadeth me beside the
still waters.
The lovehest image afforded by the natural world, is here repre-
sented to the imagination ; that of a flock, feeding in verdant mea-
dows, and reposing, in quietness, by the rivers of water, running
gently through them. It is selected, to convey an idea of the provi-
sion made for the souls, as well as bodies of men, by His goodness,
who " openeth his hand, and fiUeth all things living with plenteousness."
"By me" saith the Redeemer, " if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go ii» and out, and find pasture :" John x. 9. And what
saith the Spirit of peace and comfort? "Let him that is athirst
come ; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely P
Rev. xii. 17. Every flock that we see, should remind us of our
necessities ; and every pasture should excite us to praise that love by
which they are so bountifully supplied.
110 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. He restoreth my soul: Tie leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his^
name's sake.
To "restore," or bring back, those that had gone astray," that is,
in other words, to " call sinners to repentance," was the employment
of Him Avho, in the parable, of the "lost sheep," representeth him-
self as executing that part of the pastoral office. By the same kind
hand, when "restored," they are thenceforth led in "the path of
righteousness ;" in the way of holy obedience. Obstructions are re-
moved ; they are strengthened, to walk and run in the paths of
God's commandments ; while, to invite and allure them, a crown of
glory appears, held forth at the end of it. All this is now done, for,
in, by, and through that " name," beside which, there is none other
under heaven given unto man, whereby he may be saved.
4. Yea^ though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The sheep here express their confidence in the power of their
Shepherd, as sufficient to defend them against the last and most for-
midable enemy, death himself. To apprehend the scenery in this
verse, we must conceive the church militant, and the church trium-
phant, as two mountains, between which lieth the " valley of the
shadow of death," necessary to be passed by those who would go
from one to the other. Over all that region of dreariness and deso-
lation, extendeth the empire of the king of terrors : and the believer
alone " feareth no evil," in his passage through it ; because he is con-
ducted by " that great Shepherd of the sheep, whom God brought again
from the dead ;" Heb. xiii. 20 ; and who can therefore show us the
path of life, through the vale of death. In all our dangers and dis-
tresses, but chiefly in our last and greatest need, let " thy rod," the scep-
tre of thy kingdom, O Lord, protect us, and thy pastoral " staff" guide
and support our steps ; till, through the dreaded valley, we pass to
the heavenly mountain, on which St. John saw " the Lamb standing,
with a great multitude, redeemed from the earth." Rev. xiv. 1.
5. Tliou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil ; my cup runneth over.
Another set of images, borrowed from a feast, is introduced to give
us ideas of those cordials and comforts prepared to cheer and invigo-
rate the fainting soul, while, surrounded by " enemies," it is accom-
plishing its pilgrimage through life ; during which time, its sorrows
and afflictions are alleviated and sweetened by the joys and consola-
tions of the Holy One ; by the feast of a good conscience ; by the
bread of hfe, the "oil" of gladness, and the "cup" of salvation, still
full, and " running over."
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall foil oid me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Experience of "goodness and mercy," already so often vouchsafed^
begets an assurance of their being continued to the end ; for nothing
can separate us from the love of Christ, if we do not separate our-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. Ill
selves from it. Thus will the Lord, our Saviour, provide for us on
earth, and conduct us to heaven ; where we shall dwell to " length
of days," even the days of eternity, " one fold under one Shepherd :'*
a fold into which no enemy enters, and from which no friend de-
parts : w^here we shall rest from all our labours, and see a period to
all our sorrows ; where the voice of praise and thanksgiving is heard
continually ; where all the faithful, from Adam to his last-born son,
shall meet together, to behold the face of Jesus, and to be blessed
with the vision of the Almighty ; where " we shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on us, nor any
heat. But the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall
feed usj and lead us to living fountains of waters." Rev. vii. 16, 17.
FIFTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XXIV.
ARGUMENT.— The plan of this Psalm, according to the letter of it, is beautifully
delineated by Bishop Lowth, in his twenty-seventh lecture. The ark of God is sup-
posed to be moving, in a grand and solemn procession of the whole Israeiitish nation,
towards the place of its future residence, on mount Sion : see 1 Chron. xv. On as-
cending the mountain, the Psalm is sung, declaring, 1, 2. the sovereignty of Jehovah
over all the earth ; describing, 3 — 6. what the character ought to be of that people
whom he had more peculiarly selected, to serve him in the house where his glory was
to dwell, and of which, 7 — 10. it was now about to take possession. All this is by
us to be applied to the Christian church, and the ascension of our Lord into heaven ;
for which reason, the Psalm is one of those appointed to be used on Ascension-day.
1. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ; the worlds and they that
dwell therein.
The God of Israel was Lord of the whole earth, by right of crea-
tion. The same Uivine Person who created the world, hath since,
in Christ, redeemed it ; and it is his again, by that right also. But
the church Christian is his, in a more peculiar manner, as the church
of Israel formerly was. We are doubly bound to adore and to obey
him. " It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves :" Psal. c.
2, and " we are not our own, being bought with a price :" 1 Cor. vi.
20. The inference is, " Let us glorify God in our bodies, and in our
spirits, which are," every way, " God's."
2. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the foods.
The waters which, at the creation, and again at the deluge, over-
spread all things, being, by the power of God, driven down into the
great deep, and there confined, the earth was, in a wonderful man-
ner, constructed and established, as a circular arch, upon or over
them. Let us often meditate on this noble subject of contemplation
and devotion ; that we may learn whither we are to have recourse,
when in danger of being overwhelmed by sins or sorrows.
112 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ? and who shall stand in his
holy place.
The connexion seems to be this : If the Almighty Creator and
Lord of all the earth has chosen us to be his peculiar people, to serve
and worship him in his temple, upon the holy hill of Sion, whither
the sacred symbol of his presence is now ascending, what manner of
persons ought we to be? The reasoning is exactly the same, as
Bishop Lowth observes, with that of Moses, in Deut. x. 14 — 16.
'' Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy
God ; the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord had a
delight in thy fathers, to love them ; and he chose their seed after
them, even you, above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise there-
fore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked." The
argument applies, with additional force, to ourselves, as Christians.
We compose a far more numerous and magnificent procession than
that of the Israelites, when the church universal, with her spiritual
services, attends our Lord, as it were, upon his ascension, in heart
and mind ascending with him into the holy places not made with
hands.
4. He that hath clean hands ^ and a pure heart ; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, or, placed his trust in vain idols, or, m the creatvre, nor
sworn deceitfully. 5. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righ-
teousness from the God of his salvation.
No man can ascend into heaven through his own righteousness
but he who came down from heaven, and performed a perfect sinless
obedience to the will of God. Sinners of old were purified, through
faith in him that was to come, by typical offerings and ablutions, be-
fore they approached the sanctuary. We have been cleansed from
our sins, and renewed unto holiness, by the blood of Christ, and the
washing of the Holy Ghost. Thus we become his people : thus we
" receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God
of our salvation."
6. TViis is the generation of them that seek him, thai seek thy face O Jacobs
or, O God of Jacob.
Such ought the people to be who seek the presence of God, and
approach to worship him in the sanctuary ; who celebrate the Ascen-
sion of their Redeemer, and hope, one day, to follow him into those
happy mansions, which he is gone before to prepare for them.
7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors:
and the King of glory shall come in. 8. Who is the K' no- of glory? Tlie
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9, 10. The chorus is re-
peated.
We must now form to ourselves an idea of the Ijord of glory, after
his resurrection from the dead, making his entry into the eternal
temple in heaven, as of old, by the symbol of his presence, he took
possession of that figurative and temporary structure which once stood
upon the hill of Sk)n. We are to conceive him gradually rising,
from mount Olivet, into the air, taking the clouds for his chariot, and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 113
ascending up on high ; while some of the angels, hke the Levites in
procession, attendant on the triumphant Messiah in the day of his
power, demand that those everlasting gates and doors, hitherto shut
and barred against the race of Adam, should be thrown open, for his
admission into the realms of bliss. "Lift up your heads, O ye gates ;
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of glory shall
come in." On hearing this voice of jubilee and exultation from the
earth, the abode of misery and sorrow, the rest of the angels, aston-
ished at the thought of a man claiming a right of entrance into their
happy regions, ask from within, like the Levites in the temple, " Who
is this King of glory ?" To which question the attendant angels
answer, in a strain of joy and triumph — and let the church of the re-
deemed answer with them — " The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord
mighty in battle ;" the Lord Jesus, victorious over sin, death, and
tiell. Therefore we say, and with holy transport we repeat it, " Lift
up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye Mft up, ye everlasting doors ;
and the King of glory shall come in." And if any ask, " Who is
the King of glory?" to heaven and earth we proclaim aloud — "The
Lord of Hosts ;" all-conquering Messiah, Head over every creature,
the Leader of the armies of Jehovah, " He is the King of glory."
Even so, Glory be to thee, O Lord most High ! Amen Hallelujah.
PSALM XXV.
ARGUMENT. — It is much the same, whether we suppose the church, or any single
memher thereof, to be speaking throughout this Psalm, and praying, 1 — 3. for help
and protection against spiritual enemies ; 4, 5. for knowledge and direction in the
way of godliness ; pleading for this purpose, 6, 6. God's mercies of old ; 8. the per-
fections of his nature ; 9, 10. enumerating the qualifications requisite for scholars in
the divine school ; 11. upon the strength of these arguments, enforcing the petition
for mercy ; 12 — 14. describing the blessedness of the man who feareth the Lord ; 15
— 21. preferring divers petitions ; and 22. closing the whole with one for the final re-
demption of the Israel of God.
1. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 2. O my God, I trust in thee :
let Tue not be ashamed; let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Cares and pleasures are the weights which press the soul down to
earth, and fasten her thereto ; and it is the spirit of prayer, which
must enable her to throw off these weights, to break these cords, and
to " lift up" herself to heaven. He who " trusteth " in any thing, but
in God, wilj one day be " ashamed " and confounded, and give his
spiritual " enemies" cause " to triumph over him."
3. Yea, let none that wait on thee he ashamed: let them he ashamed which
transgress without a cause, or, vainly, rashly.
God, as a father and a master, will never suffer his children and
•servants to want his favour and protection ; nor will he permit ma-
licious rebels to enjoy it. Honour will, in the end, be the portion of
the former, and shame the inheritance of the latter.
15
114 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
4. Show me thy ways, O Lord ; teach me thy paths. 5. Lead me in thy
truth, and teach me ; for thou art the God of my salcation ; on thee do I wait
all the day.
We are travellers to heaven, who, through temptation, are often
drawn aside, and lose our way. The way is the law of God ; and,
to keep that law, is to walk in the way. God only can put us in
the way, and preserve and forward us therein ; for which purpose,
we must continue instant in prayer to " the God of our salvation,"
that he would "teach" us to do his will; that so we may not be
ashamed and confounded.
6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies^ and thy loving kindnesses ; for
they have been ever of old.
The soul, when hard beset with sins and sorrows, is apt to think
that God hath forsaken and forgotten her. In this case, she cannot
more effectually prevail upon him, or comfort herself, than by recol-
lecting, and, as it were, reminding him of former mercies ; since,
however the dispositions and alfections of men may alter, God is al-
ways the same.
7. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions : according to
thy mercy remember thou mc, for thy goodness"* sake, O Lord.
When God remembers his mercy, he forgets our sins ; and when
he forgets our sins, he remembers his mercy ; for what else is his
mercy, but the forgiveness, the blotting-out, the non-imputation of
sin ? Who that has lived long in the world, can survey the time past
of his life, without breaking forth into this petition, adding, to " the
sins of his youth," the many transgressions of his riper years.
8. Good and upright is the. Lord : therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Another argument for hope and trust in God, is drawn from hi&
nature. He hates sin, and loves righteousness ; he sent his Son to
suffer for the one, and his Spirit to produce the other ; and he cannot
but be faithful and just to his own gracious promises, which all cen-
tre in the salvation of sinners by pardon and grace through Him who
is " the way, the truth, and the life."
9. The meek will he guide in judgment : and the meek will he teach his
way.
Pride and anger have no place in the school of Christ. The Mas-
ter himself is "meek and lowly" of "heart;" much more, surely,
ought the scholars to be so. He who hath no sense of his ignor-
ance, can have no desire or capabihty of knowledge, human or di-
vine.
10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, unto such as keep his
covenant and his testimonies.
The law of God is the way by which he cometh to us, as well as
that by which we ^o to him ; and all the different dispensations of
that law, here styled the "paths of the Lord," are composed of
" mercy and truth ;" mercy promising, and truth performing, meet
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 115
together in Christ, who is " the end of the law to every one that be-
lieveth ;" to such as " keep his covenant and his testimonies."
11. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity ; for it is great.
The pardon of sin is to be asked, and obtained, through that gra-
cious " name," in which " mercy and truth are met together ;" and
so "great" is our sin, that pardon can be had only through that
name.
12. ^^llat man is he that feareth the Lord ? Him shall he teach in the way
that he shall choose.
The blessings consequent upon "the fear of the Lord" are such
as will fully justify the earnestness and fervour of the foregoing pe-
titions for pardon and grace. " The fear of the Lord is the begin-
ning of wisdom." He who hath it, will " choose" the right way,
and will be " taught" to go therein.
«
13. His soul shall dwell at ease, Heb. lodge in goodness ; and his seed shall
inherit the earth.
It is a privilege of " the man who feareth the Lord," that not only
in this present life, all things work togetlier for his " good," but his
soul, after having persevered in righteousness, shall take up its abode
in the mansions of felicity. His " seed" likewise shall be blessed in
the same manner, with such a portion of the temporal promise made
to Abraham as God seeth best for them, and certainly with an abun-
dant share in the spiritual inheritance, the new earth, wherein dwell
righteousness, joy. and glory. " Blessed are the meek," the seed of
Christ, " for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. v. 5.
14. 7!^e secret, ^eh. fixed cmmsel, or, design of the Lord, is with them that
fear him; and he will show them his covenant, Heb. and his covenant, to make
them know it.
The greatest happiness of man in this world is, to know the fixed
and determinate counsels of God concerning the human race, and
to understand the covenant of redemption. This likewise is the re-
ward of " the fear of the Lord," which humbles the soul, and pre-
pares it for divine illumination, causing it to place all its comfort in
meditation on the wonders of heavenly love. " All things which I
have heard of my Father I have made known unto you," saith our
Lord to his disciples : John xv. 15.
15. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord ; for he shall pluck my feet out of
the net.
Encouraged to hope for the blessings above mentioned, the lowly
supphant still continues to fix the eyes of his understanding on their
proper object, God his Saviour, beholding his glory, attending to his
will, and expecting his mercy. An unfortunate dove, whose feel
are taken in the snare of the fowler, is a fine emblem of the soul,
entangled in the cares or pleasures of the world ; from which she
desires, through the power of grace, to fly away, and to be at rest
with her glorified Redeemer.
116 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
16. Turn me unto thee, and have mercy upon me ; for I am desolate and
afflicted.
They who ever looking upon the Lord will be heard, when they
beseech him to turn his face, and to look upon them. When the
soul, forsaking and forsaken by all earthly supports and comforts,
finds herself in a state of desolation, and is experimentally convinced
of her being, not in a paradise of dehghts, but in a vale of misery,
then her visitation and deliverance are at hand.
7%e troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my dis-
As life is prolonged, troubles are generally enlarged,* till at length
they take up what room there is in the heart. The last scene of
the tragedy is the most calamitous. So it was in the life of our
dear Master. And every man will sooner or later perceive, that God
alone can " bring him out of his distresses."
18. Look upon mine affliction and my pain ; and forgive all my sins.
Affliction and pain, whether of mind or body, are the fruits of
sin ; and the pardon of sin is the first step towards the removal of
sorrow. The latter is sent to beget in us a due sense of the former,
in order to a dehverance from both. In the new earth " dwelleth
righteousness ;" and for that reason, " there is no more sorrow, pain,
nor crying." 2. Pet. iii. 13 ; Rev. xxi. 4.
19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel
hatred.
As the evils we suffer are great, so the enemies we have to en-
counter are many. Their name is " legion :" and to their envy,
hatred, and malice there are no bounds. How unequal the combat,
unlessHhou, O God, goest forth with us by thy grace, " conquering
and to conquer !"
20. O keep my soul, and deliver me : let me not be ashamed : for I have put
my trvst in thee.
Preservation from sin, and deliverance from death, are two great
gifts of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For the latter clause,
see ver. 2.
21. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me ; for I wait on thee.
How many wishes do our hearts send forth after riches, honours,
and pleasures ! how few after " integrity and uprightness !" yet these
can "preserve" us, and those cannot. Absolute integrity and up-
rightness are the prerogatives of the King of righteousness : and it
is his grace which makes us such as his mercy will accept. On him
therefore let us " wait."
* Bishop Lowth, with some slight alteration of the text, thinks the rendering should
be,
Coarctationes cordis mei dilata ;
Et ex augustiis meis educ me.
See MeyricTc's Annotations.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 117
22. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
In the common salvation all have an interest ; and for that reason,
all should pray for it. The earthly David petitioned for Israel ; the
heavenly David ever continueth to intercede for the church ; and
every Christian ought to become a suppliant for his brethren, still
looking and longing for that glorious day, when, by a joyful resur-
rection unto hfe eternal, God shall indeed " redeem Israel out of all
his troubles."
PSALM XXVI.
ARGUMENT. — The party speaking in this Psalm, whether we suppose it to be the
typical, or the true David, the church, or any member thereof, lying under the false
accusations of calumny, 1, 2, 3. appealeth to God in behalf of injured innocence ; 4, 5.
disclaimeth all connexion with wicked men ; 6, 7, 8. declareth a fixed resolution to
adhere to the worship of God in the church ; 9, 10. prayeth to be delivered from the
ungodly; 11. again protesteth integrity, and, 12. determineth to praise the Lord.
1. Judge me, O hord, for I have walked in mineintegrity ; I have trusted
also hi the Lord : therefore I shall ^lot slide.
We have here an appeal to God, in behalf of injured and calum-
niated innocence. This was the case of David, with regard to the
accusations of Saul ; of Christ, with regard to those of the Jews ;
and it is often the case of the church, and of good men in the world ;
for whose use this Psalm seems peculiarly calculated.
2. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me ; try my reins and my heart.
A trial of this sort might be desired by David, and may be desired
by men, like him, conscious of their integrity, as to the particular
crimes charged upon them by the malice of their enemies. Christ
alone could ask such a trial at large, as being equally free from every
kind and degree of sin ; and certain of receiving additional lustre
from the increasing heat of the furnace.
3. For thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes : and I have walked in thy
truth.
They who study, in order to copy, the "loving-kindness" and the
"truth" of God, may have confidence towards him, whose "truth"
will not suffer him to be false to the promises, which his " loving-
kindness " prompted him to make.
4. / have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5. / have hated the congregation of evil doers ; and will not sit with the
wicked.
David, driven by Saul into a land of aliens, yet preserved himself
from the contagion of idolatry. And happy the Christian, who can
say, that, during the time of his banishment and pilgrimage, he hath
escaped the pollutions that are in the world, namely, vanity and hy-
pocrisy, evil practices, and wicked principles. Christ alone, hke his
emblem the light, passed through all things undefiled.
118 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
6. / iDill wash mine hands in my innocency : so will I compass thine altar,
O Lord : 7. That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving^ and tell of
all thy wondrous works.
Instead of consorting with the heathen, David comforts himself
with the future prospect of restoration to Jerusalem ; of attending the
service of God in the tabernacle ; of performing the legal ablutions,
in token of innocency thereby signified ; and of singing, before the
holy altar, psalms of praise for his dehverance. The believing soul,
in like manner, may find perpetual consolation, while she looks for-
ward toward her return home from her exile in the world, to the
Jerusalem above ; her access to the fountain of life and purity ; her
employment of serving God in the eternal temple ; and chanting
forth, with angels and archangels, the new songs of the celestial Sion
for so great salvation.
8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy
honmir dwelleth, Heb. the place of the tabernacle of thy glory.
With what ardent affection the banished prophet sighs for the
beauty of holiness in the church ! the most amiable object on earth,
because the nearest resemblance of heaven, where is the true " habi-
tation of God's house, and the place of the tabernacle of his glory ;"
since of the heavenly Jerusalem St. John tells us, that " the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple." Rev. xxi. 22.
9. Gather not my soid with sinners, 7ior my life with bloody men : 10. In
whose hands is mischief and their right hand is full of bribes.
In consideration of his integrity and piety, David beseeches God
not to dehver him over into the hands of his unjust and bloody ene-
mies, nor to reckon him in their number. Let our lot,.0 Lord, be
among thy children here, that it may be among them hereafter.
11. But a^ for me, I will walk in mine integrity : redeem me, and be mer-
ciful unto me.
The Christian's resolution, like that of the prophet, must be, to
hold fast his "integrity" in the midst of his enemies, and not follow
a multitude to do evil ; as knowing, that the day of final " redemp-
tion and mercy" will come.
12. My foot standeth in an even place ; in the congregations will I bless the
Lord.
The law of God is that " even place," that plain and direct path,
in which the affections, which aie the "feet" of the soul must be
immovably fixed, so that nothing may induce her to swerve from
the stabiUty of her purpose, to the right hand or to the left. David,
upon his return to his country, " blessed the Lord in the congrega-
tion" of Israel, by singing Psalms of praise and thanksgiving; ^nd
by the constant use of those very Psalms, the Lord is daily " blessed"
in all Christian " congregations" throughout the world ; yea, and he
shall be so blessed to the end of time.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 119
FIFTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XXVIL
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. a declaration of trust and confidence in
Jehovah, amidst the dangers and tumults of war; 4. a longing desire of restoration
to the city and house of God ; 5, 6. a triumphant assurance of final victory and ex-
ultation ; 7 — 12. earnest prayer for support and protection ; 13. a profession of faith,
and its mighty power and comfort in affliction ; 14. an exhortation to patience.
1. The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall Ifear 7 The Lord
is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid.
God is our " light," as he showeth us the state we are in, and the
enemies we have to encounter ; he is our " strength," as he enableth
us, by his grace, to cope with, and overcome them : and he is our
" salvation," as the author and finisher of our deliverance from sin,
death, and Satan. All this he was to the blessed person whom David
represented ; and all this he will be to his faithful servants. " If
God" therefore " be for us, who can be against us?" Rom. viii. 31.
2. J^Tien the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, cameupon me to eat
up my fleshy they stumbled and fell.
The past time is often used, in the prophetical language, to inti-
mate the certainty of the future. Faith sees the foe already van-
quished, and the prey snatched from the jaws of the devouring lion.
3. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident
What avails it, that the "host" of darkness is in arms, and the
world taking the field against us, when the Lord is our light, and
heaven our ally ?
4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of
the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
The victories of David ended in his restoration to Jerusalem, and
the service of God : the victories of Christ terminated in his trium-
phant return to a better Jerusalem ; and this ought to be the " one
thing desired " by the Christian, that, after his conquest over his
body of sin, he may pass the unnumbered days of eternity in the
courts of heaven, contemplating the beauty and glory of his Re-
deemer.
5. For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion : in the secret
of his tabernacle shall he hide me ; he shall set me up upon a rock.
The protection and consolation experienced by believers of the
church militant, give them a taste of the loving-kindness of the Lord,
and make them impatiently desirous of quenching their thirst at the
fountain of divine pleasures, after they shall have been exalted upon
the rock of ages, from whence that fountain flows.
120 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
6. And now shall mine head he lifted up above mine enemies round about
me: therefore will loffer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy ; J will sing, yea^
J will sing praises unto the Lord.
These words, as they are supposed to be spoken by David, by
Christ, or by the church, express their respective assurances, through
faith, of final victory over their several enemies, with tlieir determined
resolution of singing hallelujahs to Jehovah for the same.
7. Hear, O Lord, when / cry with my voice : have mercy also upon me, and
answer me.
From the assurances of faith it is always good to descend to the
humiliation of prayer to God, who alone can grant unto us that one
thing which we desire, and long after, while in the land of our cap-
tivity, and house of our pilgrimage. See ver. 4.
8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face ; my heart said UTito thee, Thy face
Lord, will I seek.
The voice of God, throughout the Scriptures, exhorteth the be-
liever to turn away from the delusive appearances of the creature,
and to seek after Him who is " altogether lovely," until he behold
" the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." To this voice the
believer answers, like a well-tuned instrument to the master's touch,
declaring his resolution so to do.
9. Hide not thy face far fj^om me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou
hast been my help; leave me not, oieither forsake me, O God of my salvation!
The suppliant, having determined to seek the face of God, here
prayeth, that he would permit himself to be found, and to be seen ;
and that he would not, by "hiding his face," cause the hght of
knowledge to become darkness, and the fire of charity to go out. The
church dreadeth nothing so much as an ecHpse of the " Sun of Righ-
teousness,"
10. When my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take me
up.
A time will come, when the dearest earthly friends and relations
can no longer be of any assistance to us.* The case of the church
and of the soul is sometimes compared to that of a poor helpless,
exposed orphan. Where worldly comforts end, heavenly ones begin.
See Isa. xlix. 15 ; Matt, xxiii. 37 ; John ix. 35.
11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of
mine enemies.
The child of God, learning to walk in the law of his heavenly
Father, prayeth to be directed and strengthened from above, that the
enemy may neither pervert his steps, nor triumph in his fall.
12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses
are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
David had his enemies and false accusers ; Christ also had his :
* As there seems io be some difficulty in siipposiii£r the Psalmist's parents to have
I* deserted" hirn, they migfht perhaps be said to have "forsaken' him, (as Muis con-
jectures,) that is, to have left him behind them, as being dead. Merrick.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 121
and every child of God hath need to petition for deliverance from the
great enemy of his salvation, the grand accuser of the brethren, who
is ever breathing out malice and cruelty against the body and mem-
bers of Christ.
13. I had fainted, unless [ fiad believed to see the goodness of the Lord, intJie
land of the living.
" Faith " in the comfortable promises of God is the only sovereign
cordial for a fainting spirit. Earth is the land of the dying ; we
must extend our prospect into heaven, which is the land of the "liv-
ing," where the faithful shall "see," and experience evermore "the
goodness of the Lord."
14. Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine
heart : wait, I say, on the Lord.
The person speaking concludes with an apostrophe to his own
soul, resulting from the confidence in God, expressed ver. 1, from the
desire and the hope of heaven, 4 — 13, and from the manifold pledges
of the divine love already received in this life, 14 : the proper inference
from all which considerations is this ; that we should patiently " wait
on the Lord," till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage pass away^
and we arrive at the mansions prepared for us, in the house of our
heavenly Father ; till our warfare be accomplished, and terminate in
the peace of God ; till the storms and tempests of wintry time shall
give place to the unclouded calm, and the ever-blooming pleasures of
eternal spring.
PSALM XXVIIL
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, like the twenty-second and many others, consisteth of
two parts. For, 1 — 5. the tnie David appeareth in his state of humiliation and suf-
fering ; he prayeth for deliverance, and prophesieth the destruction of his enemies ;:
6 — 9. He singeth a sweet, though short hymn of triumph, and intercedeth for his
church and people.
1. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock ; be not silent to me : lest, if thou
be silent to me, I become like them that godown into the pit.
The true David here maketh supplication, "with strong crying,'^
to the Father, that he may not be suffered to continue, hke other men,,
under the dominion of the " grave." The Christian prayeth, in the
same words, to be delivered from the "pit" of corruption; and
mightily should he "cry" to Jehovah, the "rock" of his salvation,,
until his prayer be heard and answered.
2, Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up
my hands towards thy holy oracle.
Christ frequently interceded for his people, with his. " hands lifted
up " toward " heaven," in fervent prayer : and " I will," saith the
apostle, " that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands :" 1 Tim.
ii. 8. Shall our Redeemer pray for us, and shaU we not pray for
ourselves ?
6
122 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. Draw me not away with the wicked^ and with the workers of iniquity^
which speak peace to their neighbours^ but mischief is in their hearts.
Christ, who alone is without sin, petitioneth that he may not he
oppressed by sinners ; he who is truth and love, prayeth to be pre-
served from the " false and malicious." Let us pray to be made like
him ; and hke him to be delivered from evil, especially from the evil
of a "lying and slandering" tongue.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of
■their endeavours ; give them after the work of their hands : render to them
their desert. 5. Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the opera-
tion of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
In these verses, as indeed in most of the imprecatory passages,
the imperative and the future are used promiscuously ; " Give them
—render them — he shall destroy them." If, therefore, the verbs in
all such passages were uniformly rendered in the future, every objec-
tion against the Scripture imprecations would vanish at once, and
they would appear clearly to be what they are, namely, prophecies
of the divine judgments, which have been since executed against the
Jews, and which will be executed against all the enemies of Jeho-
vah and his Christ, whom neither the " works " of creation, nor those
of redemption, can lead to repentance.
6. Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7. The Lord is my strength and my shield ; my heart trusted in him, and I
am helped ; and therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth ; and with my song will I
praise him.
The scene now changes from the humiliation and sufferings, to
the glory and triumph of Christ, our head, who through the power
of the Divinity, having overcome his enemies, may be supposed, at
his resurrection from the dead, to have sung this strain ; a strain
which they who have been delivered from sin and sorrow, will best
understand by using it.
8. TTie Lord is their strength^ and he is the saving strength of his Anointed,
•or, Christ.
He who saved and exalted the Head, will also save and exalt the
members ; or, as St. Paul expresseth it, " If the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you : he that raised up Christ
from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit,
that dwelleth in you :" Rom. viii. 11. And for the accomplishment
of this glorious salvation, the salvation of his church, the Redeemer
intercedeth in the remaining verse of this Psalm.
9. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance ; feed them also, and lift
them up for ever.
Save us, O Lord Jesu, from our sins; bless us, O thou son of
Abraham, with the blessing of righteousness ; feed us, O thou good
Shepherd of the sheep ; and lift us up for ever from the dust, O thou
who art the resurrection and the Ufe !
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 123
PSALM XXIX.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, the prophet 1, 2. calleth the kings of the earth to give
glory to Jehovah, and to the voice, or word, of his power ; the effects of which, ia
the world and in the church, are most magnificently described ; the same things
being true of thunder and lightning in the former, and of the Word of God in the
latter ; as each of them is styled the *' Voice of the Lord ;" and both, 3, 4. are mighty
in operation ; both, 5. rend, and, 6, 7. shake, and, 8. pierce, and melt, and, 9- make
manifest. The Psalm concludes with, 10. an acknowledgment of the extent and
glory of God's kingdom, and, 11. a promise of victory and peace through him.
1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty^ give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name : worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness.
The prophet addesseth himself to the "mighty" ones of the earth,
exhoiting them to "give" God the "glory," and to submit themselves
to the kingdom of Messiah, to honour that holy "name," by which
they must be saved ; to bow before his altars, " by whom kings reign ;"
and to cast down their crowns at the foot of the eternal throne.
3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters ; the God of glory thurtdereth ;
the Lord is upon many waters.
The reason why the mighty are exhorted to serve Jehovah is, be-
cause of his wondrous works in the world, and in the church. By
the "voice," or, "word," of God, the "waters" were driven down into
the deep, and forbidden to overflow the earth any more ; by the voice
of God, the tumultuous and raging nations subsided, and the church
was immovably fixed upon the rock of her salvation ; and by the
gospel of the " God of glory," all those effects were produced in the
hearts of men, which are wrought upon terrestrial substances, by its
well known and most significant emblem in the material heavens.
4. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of ma-
Of the power and majesty of God's voice, when he speaketh from
heaven in thunder, few hearts are insensible; of the power and
majesty of his voice, when he spoke from heaven by his apostles,
those " sons of" the spiritual " thunder," the world was once fully
sensible. O may the evangelical " Boanerges " so cause the glorious
sound of the gospel to be heard, under the whole heaven, that the
world may again be made sensible thereof; before that voice of the
Son of Man, which hath so often called sinners to repentance, shall
call them to judgment.
5. TTie voice of the Lord bredketh the cedars ; yea the Lord hreaketh the
cedars of Libanus.
The force of lightning is known to rend in pieces the tallest and
strongest trees in a moment ; nor is the word of God less effectual in
bringing down the loftiest pride and rending the hardest heart of man
by the Spirit which accompanieth it. Thus was the persecuting
Saul humbled and converted, by a "light" and a "voice" from
heaven ;" so that, instead of " breathing out threatenings and slaugh-
124 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
ters," he asks, like a meek and dutiful child, " Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do?" Acts ix. 1, 6.
6. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a
young unicorn.
Thunder not only demolisheth the cedars, but " shaketh the moun-
tains " on which they grow. Thus by the Gospel, " every mountain
and hill was shaken, and made low ; every high thing, which exalted
itself against the knowledge of Christ, was cast down, and brought
into subjection." Isa. xl. 4 ; 2 Cor. x. 5.
7. 7^ voice of the Lord divideth the Jlames of fire.
By the power of God, the " flames of fire" are " divided" and sent
abroad from the clouds upon the earth, in the terrible form of light-
ning, that sharp and glittering sword of the Almighty, which no
substance can withstand. The same power of God goeth forth by
his word, "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword," penetrating, melting, enlightening, and inflaming the hearts
of men. Acts ii. 3 ; Heb. iv. 12.
•
8. 7^e voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wil-
derness of Kadesh.
The wilderness of Kadesh was a part of that wilderness through
which the Israelites passed, in their way to Canaan ; see Numb. xiii.
26. Thunder shaketh those wide-extended deserts, as well as Leba-
non and Sirion, mountains of Judea. The Gospel was first preached
in Palestine, but from thence it went forth into the Gentile world,
that dry, barren, and desolate " wilderness." The wilderness is yet
once again to be shaken by "the voice of God," and to be removed
for ever, that paradise may succeed in its place.
9. 7%e voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve^ or, the oaks to tremble*
and discovereth the forests ; and in his temple dbth every one speak of his
lory.
Storms of thunder and lightning, attended often with whirlwinds,
strip the trees of their leaves and bark, and disclose the recesses of
forests. It is by the "word of God," that the hidden "things of
darkness are manifested," and the "counsels of all hearts revealed :"
for "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom
we have to do." 1 Cor. iv. 5 ; Heb. iv. 13. For these his marvel-
lous works, in the natural and spiritual world, God is daily "glorified"
in the " church."
10. T%e Lord sitteth upon tliefiood : yea, the Lord sitteth a King for ever.
The Lord Jesus sitteth on his throne, having all power in the dis-
' * So Bishop Lowl.h renders the clause in his Lectures. Aristotle, Plutarch, and Pliny,
as cited by Mr. Merrick, mention the case of abortion being sometimes caused among
cattle by thunder. Whatever terrifies to any degree, may certainly produce such an
effect. But the bishop's interpretation is, in every respect, the most eligible. The evi-
dent connection with the words that follow — " discovereth the forests," — forbids us to
doubt of its being right.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 125
pensations of nature and of grace ; by which, as he checketh at plea-
sure the rage of the most boisterous elements in the former, so, with
the same ease, he controlleth the fury of the enemy and oppressor
in the latter ; saying with equal authority in both cases, Peace ! be
still !
11. The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his peo-
ple with peace.
From Jehovah, whose power and majesty have been with so
much sublimity displayed in this whole Psalm, we are to expect,
through faith and prayer, "strength" to overcome our enemies,
whether ghostly or bodily ; and also the blessing of " peace," which
must be the fruit of victory. Thou, O Christ, art the "Mighty
God ;" and therefore, thou art the " Prince of Peace." Isa. ix. 6.
SIXTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XXX.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, or devout hymn, composed probably by David, on his
revisiting the sancturary, after a joyful recovery from some dangerous sickness, he,
1 — 3, returneth thanks for that event ; and, 4. calleth the church to do so hkewise, 5.
drawing a comparison between temporary sufferings and eternal rewards. 6, 7. He
describeth his former prosperity succeeded by affliction, with, 8 — 10. the supplications
poured forth to the Almighty, in the day of his distress ; and then returneth again,
11. to celebrate his deliverance, and, 12. to glorify God for the same. The Psalm is
finely adapted to the case of the true David, and of Christians, his disciples and fol-
lowers.
1. Twill extol thee, O Lord ; for thou hast lifted me tip, Heb. drawn me
out, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
These words, if originally composed and uttered by king David,
on occasion of some temporal mercy, apply, in a far more emphatical
and beautiful manner, to the case of Messiah, suffering and rising
again, as well as to that of his church and people, following him,
both in his sufferings and resurrection ; when we shall all lift up our
voices, and. sing together — " I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou
hast hfted me up ! and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me !"
2. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
Deliverance is to be attained by " prayer ;" for so David, and so
the Son of David, obtained it ; the former was " healed " at his res-
toration to health and strength ; the latter at the resurrection : the
soul is healed at its repentance and conversion ; and the body will
hereafter be repaired, beautified, and glorified, from the ruins of the
grave.
3. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul, or, anim/zl frame, from the grave :
thou hast kept Tue alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
The resurrection of David was a figurative one ; that of Christ
was a real one, as that of his saints wiU be ; so that the Psalm is
126 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
more strictly applicable to the true, than it ever could have been ta
the typical David. The latter clause may be rendered — " Thou hast
quickened me from among them that go down to the pit ;" which
rendering is most agreeable to the former part of the verse — " Thou
hast brought up my frame from the grave."
4. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks ai the remem-
brance of his holiness, or, of his Holy One.
The church of the redeemed is called upon to glorify the name of
God, for his remembrance of " the King of saints," and for the accom-
plishment of the promise in raising him from the dead.
5. For his anger endureth hut a moment ; in his favour is life : weeping
may endure for a night, but joy conieth in the momi7ig.
This is a most beautiful and affecting image of the sufferings and
exaltation of Christ ; of the sorrows and joys of a penitent ; of the
miseries of time, and the glories of eternity ; of the night of death,
and the morning of the resurrection.
6. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 7. Lord, by thy
favour thou hast made my mourUainto stand strong: thou didst hide thy face,
and / was troubled.
David, after his success against Goliath, and Christ, upon his tri-
umphant entry into Jerusalem, were hailed by the acclamations and
hosannas of the people, as the Christian may sometimes meet with
the applauses of the world, and be led to think himself established in
prosperity. But other troubles awaited David ; and the blessed
Jesus was nailed to the cross. Let not the disciple expect to be above
his master ; nor, in the season of life and joy, neglect to prepare for
the approaching days of sorrow and darkness.
8. / cried unto thee, O Lord ; and unto the Lord / made supplication.
9. What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit ? Shall the dust
praise thee ? Shall it declare thy truth ? 10. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy
upon me : Lord, be thou my helper.
These are some of " the strong cryings and supplications," which
the true David poured forth, while under the cloud of his passion •
and which are to be poured forth by us, when conformed to his image, in
suffering affliction. The argument here used, is a very powerful one,
namely, the necessity of a resurrection from the grave, that man may
be saved, and God glorified. The dead cannot praise, or serve God.
They must live again for this purpose ; and for this purpose it is,
that we should desire to live, whether it be in the present world, or
that which is to come.
11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing : thou hast put
off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
This might be true of David, delivered from his calamity ; it was
true of Christ, arising from the tomb, to die no more ; it is true of
the penitent, exchanging his sackcloth for the garments of salvation ;
and it will be verified in us all, at the last day, when we shall put
off the dishonours of the grave, to shine in glory everlasting.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 127^
12. To tfie end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent: O
Lord my Gcd, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
The end of Christ's resurrection, of the salvation of the souls of the
faithiul, and the resurrection of their bodies, is one and the same,
namely, the glory of God, who is the author of every kind of deliver-
ance ; whose praise should, therefore, be resounded by the grateful
tongues of the redeemed, from generation to generation ; as the
tongue then becometh the "glory" of man, when it is employed in
setting forth the glory of God.
PSALM XXXI.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, ver. 5th of which was pronounced by our Lord, when
expiring on the cross, we hear the true David, like his representative of old, 1 — 6. sup-
plicating for deliverance ; 7, 8. rejoicing in the Divine favour and assistance ; 9 — 13.
describing his afflicted and forlorn state ; 14 — 18. returning again to his prayers ; 19
— 22. celebrating the mercies of God to the children of Adam ; and, 23, 24. exhort-
ing his saints to courage and perseverance, under their troubles in the world.
L In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver Tne
in thy righteousness.
God is faithful and just, to save those who, in time of trouble, re-
nouncing all dependence on themselves and the creature, "put their
trust" only in his mercy. His honour is engaged by his promise, not
to let such be "ashamed" of their confidence.
2. Bow down thine ear to me, deliver me speedily; be thou m>y strong rock,
for an house of defence to save me.
The Christian, like his blessed Master, is "besieged" by many and
powerful enemies, insomuch that, notwithstanding all human pre-
cautions, " unless Jehovah keep the city, the watchman waketh in
vain." Who, in such circumstances, would not pray for "speedy"
deliverance?
3. For thou art my rock and my fortress : therefore, for thy name^s sake, lead
me and guide me.
God will be the "rock" and "fortress" of those who esteem him
as such ; and, after having been so, through all the dangers and
difficulties of life, he will "lead" and "guide" them to the realms of
peace and rest, for the sake of that "name" which implieth salva-
tion.
4. Pull ms out of that net which they have laid privily for me: for thou art
my strength.
As David prayed for an escape from the secret conspiracies that
were entered against him, so did Christ pray for deliverance from the
snares of death ; and so doth the Christian pray to be extricated
from the toils both of sin and death.
5. Into thine hand I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord,
tJiou God qftndh.
David, in his distresses, might, by these words, express his resig-
128 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
nation of himself and his affairs into the hands of God ; but it is
certain, that Christ actually did expire upon the cross, with the for-
mer part of this verse in his mouth : Luke xxiii. 46. Nor is there
any impropriety in the application of the latter part to him ; since, as
man, the surety and representative of our nature, he was " redeemed "
from the power of the enemy, by "the God of truth" accomphshing
his promises.
6. / have hated them that regard lying- vanities : but I trust in the Lord.
They may hope for redemption, who so " trust in God," as to trust
in nothing beside him ; for all else is '• vanity," and will deceive.
7. 1 will be glad and rejoice iix thy mercy ; for thou hast considered my
trouble, and hast known my soul in adversities : 8. And hast not shut me up
into the hand of the enemy ; thou hast set my feet in a large room.
The considerations that make the soul " cheerful" in the hour of
affliction, are, that God is merciful ; that as he is not ignorant, so
neither is he unmindful of our troubles ; that he is a friend, who
" knows" us in adversity, no less than in prosperity ; that he hath not
subjected iis to the necessity of being overcome by our spiritual ene-
mies : but hath, " with the temptation, made a way for us to escape."
9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble ; mine eye is con-
sumed with grief yea, my soul, or, animal fraTne, and my belly.
Upon the strength of the foregoing considerations, supplication is
here made for dehverance from troubles, which wasted the eyes with
weeping, and exhausted the strength and vigour of the frame. Such
were the troubles of David, and, more emphatically, those of Christ;
and sickness and sorrow will one day teach us all to use the same
expressions.
10. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my
strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
Do we not, iri these words, hear the voice of the " man of sorrows,"
suffering not indeed for his own " iniquity," but for ours, ot* which he
frequently, in the Psalms, speaks as if it were his own? If sin was
punished in the innocent Lamb of God, let us not expect that it
should be unpunished in us, unless we repent : and let our punish-
ment never fail to remind us of our guilt.
11. / was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my
neighbours, and a fear to mine ajcquaintance : they that did see me without^
fed from me.
These particulars were never more applicable to David, than they
were to the Soh of David, when his acquaintance, at beholding him
reviled by his enemies, were terrified from attending him, and when
" all the disciples forsook him and fled." The same things are often
too true of the faith and the church. They are true likewise of
every man, when he suffers the dishonours of the last enemy, death ;
when he is " a fear" to his dearest friends, and they are obliged to for-
sake him.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 129
12. / am forgotten as a dead man out of mind ; I am like a broken
vessel.
This was literally the case of Christ, when laid in the sepulchre,
and esteemed no longer the object of hope by his friends, or of fear
by his enemies. That he should be so " forgotten," while dead, is
less wonderful, than that this should have happened since his glo-
rious resurrection and ascension into heaven. ,
13. For I have heard the slander of many : fear was on every side^ while
they took counsel together against me : they devised to take away my life.
The slander of Shimei, and the counsel of Ahithophel against king
David, direct us to the slanders of the Jews, and the counsels of Ju-
das and the sanhedrim against the beloved Son of God, wKo, in his
church, will be persecuted in like manner, by the ungodly, to the
world's end.
14. But /trusted in thee^ O Lord : I said, TTiou art my God. 15. My times
are in thy hand : deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them
that persecute me. 16. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant : save me for
thy mercies' sake.
In all our afflictions, after the example of the typical, and of the
true David, we are to have recourse to the prayer of faith ; we are
to consider, that Jehovah is our God and Saviour : that the times
and the seasons of prosperity and adversity, of life and death, are in
his hand ; and therefore on him we are to wait, till the day of mercy
shall dawn, and the shadows fly away.
17. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon thee ; let the
wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. 18. Let the lying lips
be put to silence ; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptvmisly
against the righteous.
Ahithophel, for his treason against David, and Judas for treachery
against Christ, felt the force of this prophetical imprecation, or pre-
<liction, which will also, one day, take its full effect, in the confusion
of all impenitent calumniators and traitors.
19. O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear
thee ; which thou hast wrought for them that trust m thee, before the sons of
men!
Peace of conscience, the comforts of the Spirit, and the hope of
future glory, will teach the soul, even in the darkest night of afflic-
tion, to break forth into this exulting strain of gratitude and praise,
for the blessings experienced by those who confess their Saviour
before men.
20. Thou shah hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride, Heb.
conspiracies, of man; thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the
strife of tongues.
In times of contention and persecution, there is a refuge for the
faithful in " the tabernacle of David," which is the mystical body of
Christ, inhabited by the presence of God. In this sacred " pavilion,"
they enjoy the pleasures of contemplation and devotion, regardless
of the distant tumult and confusion of the world.
17
130 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
21. Blessed be tlie Lord ; for he hath showed me marvellous kindness in a
strong city.
The^nian Christ, and the church with him, Hke David of old, here
rejoice in the protection and saving power of God, in the same man-
ner as in Isa. xxvi. 1. " We have a strong city ; salvation will God
appoint for walls and bulwarks."
22u For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes ; neverthe-
less^ thou heardest the voice of my supplications, when I cried unto thee.
Whosoever shall consider the troubles of the beloved Son of Godr
bereaved for a season of the light of heaven, only that it might after-
wards arise upon him with the greater lustre, will be taught never
to faint "under the chastisement of the Lord ; since the darkness of
the night argues the approaching dawn of the day.
23. O love tfie Lord, all ye his saints ; for the Lord preserveth the faiihfidt
and plentifully rewardeth tlie proud doer. 24. Be of good courage, and he
shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
The exhortation is raised from the consideration of the deliver-
ance of Christ, with the destruction of his enemies ; which ought to
strengthen and comfort the hearts of believers, under all their afflic-
tions here below ; that so, after having suffered courageously with
their Master, they may triumphantly enter into his joy and glory.
SIXTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XXXIL
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which is the second of those styled penitential, David,
as a model of true repentance, 1, 2. extolleth the blepsedness of those whose sins are
forgiven them ; 3, 4. describeth the torment endured by him, before he confessed his
sin ; and, 5. the goodness of God in pardoning it, when confessed ; 6. he foretelletTi
that others, after his example, should obtain the like mercy; 7. declareth his hope
and confidence in his God ; who, 8. is introduced, promising wisdom and grace to the
penitent; 9, 10. sinners are warned against obstinacy; and, 11. the righteous ex-
horted to rejoice in God their Saviour.
1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2. Bles-
sed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit
there is no guile.
As the sick man is eloquent in the praise of health, so the sinner
beginneth this his confession of sin with an encomium on righteous-
ness, longing earnestly to be made a partaker of the evangelical
"blessedness ;" to be dehvered from the guilt and the power of sin ;
to be pardoned and sanctified through faith which is in Christ Jesus..
See Rom. iv. 6.
3. When I kept silence, my hones waxed old through my roaring all the day
long.
In opposition to the blessedness above mentioned, the penitent now
proceeds to declare his own wretched state, occasioned by his " keep-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 131
ing silence," of not confessing his sin, whicli therefore rankled and
festered inwardly, occasioning torment inexpressible. The disorders
of the mind, as well as those of the body, should be communicated
to persons skilful in assuaging and removing them. Many might
thereby be saved from the horrible crime of self-murder, Avhich is
generally committed in agonies of solitary remorse and despair.
4. For day and night thy hand was heavy Upon me: my moisture is turned
into the drought of summer.
Outward calamities and inward pangs of conscience, are the
strokes of God's hand, designed to humble the sinner, and lead him
to confession ; and in the infliction of these, such severity is some-
times necessary, that the patient is brought to death's door, before a
turn can be given to the disease ; but the pain of a blow upon an
ulcerated part, however exquisite, is well compensated for, if, by pro-
moting a discharge, it effect a cure.
5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid : 1
said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; and thouforgavest the
iniquity of my sin.
What is this but the gospel itself? — " If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins :" 1 John i. 9. And thus it hap-
pened, in one case, to David, who had no sooner confessed his sin
to the prophet Nathan, but an answer of peace was instantly vouch-
safed— " The Lord hath put away thy sin :" 2 Sam. xii. 13. Were
angels to descend from heaven, to comfort the dejected spirit of a
sinner, they could say nothing more effectual for the purpose, than
what is said in this verse of our Psalm. But practice will be the best
comment upon it.
6. For thi.s shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou
mmjest he found: surely in the foods of great waters they shall not come nigh
unto him.
Encouraged by this example and declaration of David, to hope for
mercy, on confession of sin, it is here foretold, that humble penitents
shall be led to make their prayer unto God in the acceptable time,
and in the day of salvation, while " he may be found ;" that so they
may be forgiven, and preserved from great and overwhelming calami-
ties; from the fears of death, and the terrors of judgment.
7. Thou art my hiding place ; thou shall preserve me from trouble : thou
shall compass me about with songs of deliverance.
The penitent, happily returned to the house of his heavenly
Father, now esteemeth himself safe under his protection ; and resteth
in full assurance that all his sorrows shall one day be turned into joy,
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
8. / will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way in which thou shall go : I
will guide thee with mine eye.
The Redeemer is here introduced, returning an answer to the
penitent's declarations of his humihty and faith ; promising " instruc-
tion" in that wisdom which every man wants who continues in sin,
132 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
together with the direction of the Spirit in the way of righteousness,
and the superintendence of his watchful care. Man cannot prevent
evils, because he cannot foresee them. " Next, therefore, to the pro-
tecting power of God's wing, is the securing prospect of his eye," saith
Dr. South.
9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding ;
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
The person speaking in the former verse, or the prophet himself,
exhorts sinners to repent, at the invitation and encouragement af-
forded them ; and not to continue, like brutes, fierce, obstinate, and
senseless, until, like them, they must be tamed and managed by force,
and the severity of discipline.
10. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked ; but he that trusteth in the Lord,
mercy shall compass him about.
They who are not to be reformed by gentler methods, must
learn righteousness under the rod of affliction, in the school of the
cross : and happy are they, if their " sorrows" may so turn to their
advantage. But happier are those who, led by the goodness of God
to repentance and faith, enjoy the light and protection of " mercy."
11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye
that are upright in heart.*
In the beginning of the Psalm, the penitent, smitten with a sense
of his wretchedness, on account of his sins, extolleth the blessedness
of the righteous ; he now again doth the same, through a joyful sense
of his pardon, and restoration to that happy state. Let us " rejoice,"
O Lord Jesu ; but let us rejoice " in thee," and in thy salvation ; so
shall we rejoice indeed !
PSALM XXXIIL
ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm, the proi)het, 1—3. exhorteth the faithful to a spiritual
and holy joy in their God, whom they are to praise, 4, 5. for his truth, righteousness,
and mercy ; 6 — 9. for his power, displayed in the works of creation ; 10 — 19. for the
wisdom of his providence, and the care he hath of his people. 20, 21. The righteous,
in answer to the exhortation, declare their joy and confidence in God their Saviour,
and, 22. prefer a petition for his manifestation.
1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous ; for praise is comely for the upright.
God, and not the world, is the fountain of "joy;" which sinners
talk of, but the righteous only possess. " Rejoice in the Lord alway ;
and again I say, rejoice." Philip, iv. 4.
* Bishop Lowth is of opinion, this verse should he the first of the ensuing Psalm, the
repetition being in the very style and manner of the Hebrews, and the words repeated
and varied with the greatest art and elegance. " Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, y«
righteous ; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O
ye righteous ; for praise is comely for the upright." See Merrick's Annotations.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 133
2. Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with psaltery , and an instru-
ment often strings.
Music, both vocal and instrumental, is of eminent use in setting
forth the praises of God ; but there is no instrument Hke the rational
soul, and no melody like that of well-tuned affections. When this
music accompanies the other, the sacred harmony of the church is
complete.
3. Sing unto him anew song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
" Old things are passed away," and the ideas of a Christian are to
be transferred from the old world, and the old dispensation, to the
" new ;" since, under the Gospel, " all things are become new," and
all men ought to become so. Rev. xxi. 1, 5. Abilities of every
kind are never so well employed, as in the service of him who giveth
them.
4. For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
God is to be praised for his word, and his works ; for his rectitude
in the one, and his truth in the other ; for his faithfulness in accom-
plishing by the latter, what his goodness had promised in the former.
The sense will be the same, if we suppose that by " the word of the
Lord" is meant the personal Word, or Son of God, all whose "works,"
wrought for the salvation of men, are done in truth, as witnessed by
the law and the prophets.
5. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness^
Heb. mercy of the Lord.
" Justice " is an attribute inseparable from God ; and what deserves
the praises of man, as it excites the admiration of angels, is, that
without sacrificing this formidable attribute, he hath contrived to fill
and overflow the earth with his " mercy."
6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them
by the breath, or, spirit, of his mouth.
It is true that the world was created by the '-'word," or fiat of God,
which may be here described, after the manner of men, as formed
by " the breath of his mouth." It is also true, that by the instru-
mentaUty of the eternal Word, and the eternal Spirit, the old heavens
and earth were made ; as also the new heavens and earth which
shall succeed them. Glory is due from man to God, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit.
7. He gathereth the waters of tJie sea together, as an heap : he layeth up
the depth in storehouses.
The next instance of divine power and goodness, for which we
are here excited to be thankful, is that of laying up the waters,
which originally covered the face of the earth, in the great depth be-
neath. And let us reflect, that, by the same divine power and good-
ness, a deluge of wickedness and violence is prevented from over-
whelming the faith and the church.
8. Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of the world stand
134 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in awe of him: 9. For he spake, and it was donej he commanded, and it
stood fast.
He who made all things, who preserves all things, and can in a
moment destroy all things, is the proper object of our " fear ;" and
that we fear him so little, is a most convincing proof of the corrup-
tion and blindness of our hearts.
10. T^e Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the
devices of the people of none effect. 11. The counsel of the Lord standethfor
ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
The wisdom of God's providence is not less worthy of adoration
than the power of his might. By this wisdom the "counsels" of
states and empires are either directed to the accomplishment of the
great counsel of heaven ; or, if they attempt to thwart it, are blasted,
and " brought to nothing." History will force all, who read it with
this view, to acknowledge thus much. And with this view, indeed,
it should always be read.
12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ; and the people whom he
hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The foregoing considerations of the righteousness, truth, mercy,
power, and wisdom of Jehovah, naturally suggests a reflection on
the "blessedness" of the church, in whose cause all those attributes
are, by the covenant of grace, engaged and exercised. But who now
esteems this blessedness as it deserves ?
13. 7%c Lord look eth from heaven: he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14. From the place of his habitation, he looketh upon all the inhabitants of
the earth. 15. He fashioneth their hearts alike ; he consider eth all their
works.
How great must be the advantage of living in his favour, and un-
der his protection, who, from the watch-tower of his eternal throne,
beholdeth, directeth, and controlleth at pleasure, not only the actions
and the words, but the very thoughts and imaginations of all the
inhabitants of the earth ! For, this being the case, it is most certain,
that,
rc. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host ; a mighty man is
not delivered, by much strength. 17. An horse is a vain thing for safety :
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
All the power in the world is less than nothing, if brought into
the field against that of God ; so that the fate of every battle will
depend upon the side which he shall please to take, who is equally
able to confound the many and the mighty, and to give victory to
the weak and the few. The same is true of that spiritual warfare
in which Ave are all engaged.
18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him. ; vpon.them that
hope in his mercy : 19. To deliver their soul from death, arid to keep them
alive in famine.
The ever-waking eye of Providence, which looketh on all, looketh
with favour and loving-kindness on such as "fear" God without
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 135
-despondency, and "hope" in him without presumption; their bodies
are often wonder^ly preserved in times of danger and want ; but,
what is of far greater consequence, their souls are saved from spiri-
tual and everlasting death, and nourished, in the wilderness, with
the bread of heaven.
20. Our soul waitetkfor the Lord ; he is our help and our shield. 21. Far
our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
In answer to the foregoing exhortation, the "righteous" are here
introduced, declaring their fixed resolution to persevere in faith and
patience, "waiting" for the coming of their Lord and Saviour, in
w*hom they " rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory," by reason
of that humble and holy confidence which they have in him.
22. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon its, according as we hope in thee.
The "hope" of the church was always in Messiah. Of old she
prayed for the " mercy " of his first advent ; now she expecteth his
second. Grant us, O Lord, hope of which we may never be disap-
f)6inted.
PSALM XXXIV.
ARGUMENT. — The prophet, escaped out of the hands of his enemies, uttereth a song
of praise, in words which the Christian now employeth to celebrate the far greater
deliverance of his Saviour, and himself by him, from the power of more formidable
adversaries. 1 — 7. He calleth his brethren to rejoice with him, and to magnify God
for the favour and protection vouchsafed to his servant, in a time of danger; 8 — 10.
he exhorteth others to taste and experience the goodness of Jehovah to such as fear
him; and for that purpose, 11 — 14. instructeth them in the nature and effects of
'divine fear ; after which, 15 — 22. he sweetly descanteth on the certainty of redemp-
tion from all the tribulations endured by the faithful in this mortal life.
1. I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my
^nouth.
The Christian, delivered from many perils, yet continually liable
to more, finds cause, at all seasons and in all situations, to bless God.
"In all things he gives thanks, and rejoices even in tribulation,"
which cannot deprive him of the true ground of all joy, for the sal-
vation of Christ.
2. My soul shall m^ke her boast in the Lord : the humble shall hear thereofj
and be glad.
The glory of every action is to be ascribed to God, whose interpo-
sitions, in behalf of his people of old time, afford consolation and
joy to the humble and afflicted. But chiefly are the members of the
church bound to give thanks for the resurrection and triumph of
Christ, their head. " The humble " can never " hear " of this, with-
out being " glad."
3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
The Christian, not only himself magnifies God, but exhorts others
136 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
to do likewise ; and longs for that day to come, when all nations and
languages, laying aside their contentions and animosities, their pre-
judices and their errors, their unbelief, their h^-esies, and their
schisms, shall make their sound to be heard as one, in magnifying
and exalting their great Redeemer's name.
4. I sought tlie Lord, aTid he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
The ground of this rejoicing, to the typical David, might be his
deliverance from his enemies ; to the true David, it was his rescue
from the powers of darkness ; to the believing soul, it is her salva-
tion from sin ; and to the body, it will be redemption from the grave.
Then the Lord will deliver us '• from all our fears ;" and this he will
do, if we "seek" him, in his Scriptures, and his ordinances.
5. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not
ashamed.
Faith is the eye, sin the blindness, and Christ the light of the soul.
The blindness must be removed, and the eye must be directed to the
light, which will then illuminate the whole man, and guide him in
the way of salvation. He who thus looketh unto the Sun of Righ-
teousness, for light and direction, shall never be confounded.
6. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and saved him out ofaU
his troubles.
David, when he escaped from his enemies, might be "poor" and
destitute. But he was emphatically " the poor man," who became
so for our sakes ; who not only possessed nothing, but desired nothing
in this world. He " cried," and Jehovah heard him, and delivered
him out of all his troubles ; as he will hear and deUver the " poor in
spirit," who pray unto him. For,
7. Tie angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and
deliver eth them.
The divine protection and salvation, vouchsafed to the faithful, is
here signified, whether we suppose that by " the angel of Jehovah,"
is meant the presence of Christ in the church militant, as of old in
the camp of Israel ; or the ministration of created spirits to the heirs
of salvation, as in the case of Elisha : 2 Kings vi. 17. Let the con-
sideration of these invisible guardians, who are also spectators of our
actions, at once restrain us from evil, and incite us to good.
8. O taste and see that the f^ord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him.
David saw and tasted the goodness of Jehovah, when delivered
from his adversaries : the Son of David when raised from the dead.
Both invite us, by " trusting " in God. to behold and experience, in
our own persons, the mercies and consolations of heaven.
9. O fear the Lord, ye his saints : for there is no want to them that fear him.
10. The young lions do lack, and stiff er hunger ^ but they that seek the Lord
shall not want any good thing.
He who seeketh the Lord shall find him ; and he who hath found
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 13T
Him can want nothing. Faith, hope, charity, temperance, purity^
patience, and contentment, are the true riches ; and the lack of them,
the poverty to be most dreaded ; since to a Christian, persecution,
loss, sickness, nay, death itself, is gain. In the meantime, God is
never wanting to provide for his servants what he seeth needful and
and best, in matters temporal ; while tyrants and oppressors, who are,
in the world, what " lions" are in a forest, are often, by the just judg-
ment of heaven, reduced to want that which they have ravished from
others.
11. Come, ye children, hearken unio me: I will teach you the fear of the
Lord.
They who, by contemplating the advantages described above,
which attend the fear of the Lord, are become desirous of obtaining
that fear, must hearken to their heavenly Father, who by his pro-
phet "speaketh unto them as unto children," offering to teach them
the good and right way.
12. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may^
see good 1
Every Christian professeth to " desire," not only an animal, but a
spiritual " life ;" to love, not an old age in time, but an eternal dura-
tion; that he may "see those good things" which God hath pre-
pared, not upon earth, but in heaven, for them that love him. Let
us observe, therefore, upon what terms such blessings are offered.
13. Kee'p thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
The tongue is an instrument of much good, or much evil. Life
and death are in its power ; he that keepeth it, keepeth his soul ;
and he who offendeth not therewith is a perfect man ; it is an unruly
member, and the first work of the fear of God must be to bridle it,
that no profane, unclean, slanderous, deceitful, or idle words, proceed
out of the mouth. And as heart is to the tongue what the fountain
is to the stream, that must be first purified.
14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Not the tongue only, but the whole man is to be corrected and
regulated by the fear of God operating unto repentance from dead
works, and, through faith, unto obedience of Hfe. And he who hath
thus obtained peace with God, must ever remember to follow peace
with men, reconciling his brethren, if at variance ; himself, if it be
possible, being at variance with no one.
15. T7ie eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry. 16. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the
remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous may be afl^icted, Uke David, and like a greater than
David ; and their oppressors may, for a time be triumphant; but in
the end, the former will be delivered and exalted ; the latter will
either cease to be remembered, or they will be remembered with,
infamy.
138 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
17. The righteous cry^ and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all
their troubles.
This great and comforting truth is attested by the history of the
dehverances of Israel from Egypt, Babylon, (fee. ; of Jonah from the
whale ; of the three children from the flames, <fec. wrought at the
supplications of the respective parties in distress ; but above all, by
the salvation of the world, through the intercession of Jesus Christ.
The death of martyrs is their deliverance ; and the greatest of all
deliverances.
18. TTie Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart ; and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit.
We are apt to overlook men in proportion as they are humbled
beneath us; God regards them in that proportion. Vessels of honour
are made of that clay, which is "broken" into the smallest parts.
19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out
of them all.
Afl3ictions all must suffer ; but those of the righteous end in vic-
tory and glory. What soldier would not cheerfully undergo the hard-
ships of a campaign upon this condition ? " In the world," saith the
Captain of our salvation, " ye shall have tribulation ; but be of good
cTieer, I have overcome the world." John xvi. 33.
20. He keepeth all his bones ; not one of them is broken.
It is God who preserveth to man the strength of his body, which
lieth in the bones ; and that vigour of his spirit, which consisteth in
firm and well-established principles of faith and holiness. The bones
of the true Paschal Lamb continued whole during the passion ; and
those of the saints shall be raised whole at the last day, when the
mystical body of Christ shall come out of its sufferings no less perfect
and entire than did the natural.
21. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be
desolate.
The evil of punishment springs from the evil of sin ; and no sin
works such "desolation" as a malicious "hatred" and persecution
of the true sons and servants of God. Whoso doubts the truth of
this, let him only survey and consider attentively the desolation of
the once highly favoured nation, for their enmity against the King
of righteousness, and his faithful subjects.
22. The Lord redeemeth the smd of his servants : and none of them that trust
in him shall be desolate.
The frequent prosperity of the wicked, and the troubles of the
righteous in this world, strike powerfully upon the sense, and are, for
that reason, too apt to efface from our minds the notice? given us by
faith, of that future inversion of circumstances which is to take place
after death. To renew, therefore, the impression of such an interest-
ing truth, the redemption of the afflicted righteous is so often insisted
on in the course of this Psalm. Enable us, O Lord, to " walk by
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. II©
ftiith, and not by sight," until we come to thy heavenly kingdom ;
where, with all thy saints, made perfect through sufferings, we shall
" bless and magnify thee at all times," and thy " praise will contin-
ally be in our mouth," for evermore.
SEVENTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XXXV.
ARGUMENT. — The prophet, in this Psalm, as in the twenty-second, which it resem-
bles, personating Messiah, in his state of humiliation and suffering, 1 — 3. beseecheth
Jehovah to interpose in his behalf; 4 — 8. predicteth the confusion of his enemies, and,
9, 10. his own triumph ; 11 — 16. describeth the malice of his persecutors against him,
and his love towards them ; 17 — 25. repeateth his supplications for deliverance, and
eniargeth upon the cruel insults he met with: 26. he again foretelleth the destruction,
of the adversary, and, 27, 28. the exultation of the faithful.
1. Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me : fight against
them that fight against me.
David, in his afflictions ; Christ, in his passion ; the church, un-
der persecution ; and the Christian, in the hour of temptation, sup-
plicate the Almighty to appear in their behalf, and to vindicate their
cause.
2. Take hold of shield and buckler^ and stand up for mine help. 3. Draw
out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me : say
unto my soul, /am thy salvation.
Jehovah is here described, as a " man of war," going forth to the
battle against the enemies of Messiah, and his church : the protec-
tion afforded by his mercy is figured by the shield of the warrior,
covering his body from the darts of the enemy ; and the vengeance
of his uplifted arm, is represented by the offensive weapons used
among men, such as the spear and the sword. " If God be for us,
who can be against us?" ^ he speaketh salvation, who shall
threaten destruction ? See Deut. xxxii. 41 ; Wisdom v. 20.
4. Let them he confounded, or, they shall be confounded, and put to shame,
that seek after my soul: let them be, or, they shall be, turned back and brought
to confusion, that devise my hurt.
The consequence of the Omnipotent appearing in arms against
his adversaries, is here foretold. And the prediction has long since
been verified in the '^ confusion " of Saul, and of the Jews, as it will
be finally fulfilled in that of Satan, and all his adherents, at the last
day ; for the manifestation of which day the church now waiteth, in
faith and patience.
5. Let them, be, or, they shall be, as chaf before the wind: and let the angel
of the Lord, or, the angel of the Lord shall, chase them.
The Jews, separated from the church and people of Christ, become
useless and unprofitable to any good work, possessing only the empty
ceremonies and husks of their rehgion, and by the breath of the di-
140 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
vine displeasure dispersed over the face of the earth, afford a striking
comment on this verse, and as striking an admonition to every op-
poser of the holy Jesus. See Psalm i. 4.
6. Let their way, or, their way ehnll, be dark and slippery : and let the an-
gel of the Lord, or, the angel of the Lord shall, perseaite them.
A traveller, benighted in a bad road, is an expressive emblem of
a sinner walking in his slippery and dangerous -wsljs of temptation,
without knowledge to direct his steps, to show him the danger, or to
extricate him from it ; while an enemy is in pursuit of him, whom
he can neither resist nor avoid. Deliver us, O Lord, from all blind-
ness, but, above all, from that which is judicial !
7. For without cause have they hid from me their net in a pit, which with-
out cause they have digged for my soul. 8. Let destruction, or, destruction
shall, come upon him at unawares ; and let his net that he hath hid, or, his
net that he hath hid shall, catch himself: into that very destruction let him, or,
he shall, fall.
The causeless persecution raised against David by Saul, and
against our Lord by the Jews, reverted, through the righteous judg-
ment of God, on the heads of the persecutors. The innocent birds
escaped ; and they who set the toils, were themselves taken therein.
Saul lost the kingdom which he thought to have secured, and his
life also; and the Jews who crucilSed Christ, lest "the Romans
should take away their place and nation," had their place and nation
taken away by those Romans, for that very reason. In these his-
tories, all impenitent persecutors of the faith, the church, and the
servants of God may read their doom.
9. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord : it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10. All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, who deliverest the poor
from him th(it is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him
thai spoileth him ?
These verses, as they describe the JQ|^hich the soul and body of
Christ were to experience after the resurrection, so shall they one
day be sung by the mystical body of the Lord, when delivered from
the power of the spoiler, and raised entire from the dust. In the
meantime, they may express our gratitude for any temporal preser-
vation from enemies, from sad casualties, and dangerous tempta-
tions.
11. False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge, Heb. asked me
things that I knew not. 12. TViey rewarded me,eril for good, to the spoiling
of my soul.
This was never more literally true of David, than it was of the
holy Jesus, when, standing before Pontius Pilate, he received no
other return from the Jews, for all the gracious words which he had
spoken, and all the merciful works which he had done among them,
than that of being slandered, and put to death.
13. But as for «ie, when they were sicky my clothing was sackcloth: J hum--
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 141
bled, or, afflicted, my soul with fasting- ; and my prayer returned into mine
own bosom.
If David prayed, fasting in sackcloth, for Saul, and his associates,
the Son of David, to heal the souls of men, put on the veil of mortal
flesh, and appeared in the form and habit of a penitent, fasting forty-
days and forty nights, making continual intercession for transgres-
sors, and grieving to think that any men, by their obstinacy, should
deprive themselves of the benefits thereof.
14. / behaved myself Heb. / walked, as though he had been my friend or
brother ; I bowed dawn heavily, as one that moumeth for his mother, or, as a
mother that moumeth.
He who so passionately lamented the natural death of Saul, doubt-
less bewailed greatly his spiritual death of sin ; and he who took a
comprehensive view of the sins and sorrows of Jerusalem, wept over
that wretched city, with the tender affection of a " friend," a " bro-
ther," and a " mother :" — " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings !"
15. But in miiie adversity they rejoiced, and, gathered themselves together:
yea, the abjects, or, smiters, gathered themselves together against me, and I
knew it not ; they did tear me, and ceased not.
When the blessed Jesus was suffering for the sins of men, he was
insulted by those men for whose sins he suffered. He gave, not only
his reputation to the revilers, but also his back to the "smiters,"
though not conscious of the crimes for which they pretended to pun-
ish him.
16. With hypocritical mockers in feasts, or, among the profligates the makers
of mock, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
However this might be true in the case of David, it certainly had
a literal accomplishment in the scoffs and taunts of the chief priests,
and others, when Christ was hanging on the cross : — "Ah, thou that
destroyest the temple," &c. •' He trusted in God," (fee. " Let him come
down from the cross," <fec. (fee. (fee. Nay, one of the thieves, crucified
with him, " cast the same in his teeth." Whosoever considers these
things, will not be surprised at the expostulation in the following
verse :
17. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destruo-
tions, my darling from the lions.
Christ prayeth, like David of old, for the manifestation of the
promised mercy : for the deliverance of the nature which he had as-
sumed, and which he delighted in. Who does not behold, in him,
surrounded by his enraged and implacable enemies, a second Daniel,
praying in the den of '' lions ?"
18. 1 will give thee thanks in Vie great congregation: I will praise thee
among much people, or, the strong people.
This verse is exactly parallel to Psal. xxii. 25, wherein, after an
enumeration of his sufferings, our Lord predicteth the praise and
142 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
glory that should accrue to God in the church, after his resurrection,,
from the preaching of the apostles ; Avhich passage see, and com-
pare ; as also Isaiah xxv. 3, and Rev. vii. 9.
19. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me : neither
let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
The prophet, in the person of Christ, returneth again to make
supplication, that an end may be put to the insults, the scoffs, and
the sneers, of the reprobate. O come that day, when they shall cease
for evermore !
20. For they speak not peace : hut they devise deceitful matters against
them that are quiet in the land. 21. Yea^ they opened their mouth wide against
me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
David would have lived " quietly" under the government of Saul :.
our Lord did not aim at temporal sovereignty over the Jews; nor did
the primitive Christians desire to intermeddle with the poUtics of the
world ; yet all were betrayed, mocked, and persecuted, as rebels and
usurpers, and the pests of society.
22. This thou hast seen, O Lord : keep not siler^e: O Lord, be not far from
me. 23. Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my
God and my Lord. 24. Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy rigk-
ieousness ; and let them not rejoice over me.
God " seeth" and knoweth all things ; yet he permitteth those wha
love him best, to be often and long afflicted and oppressed, seeming
as one at a " distance," or " silent," or " asleep," that is, regardless of
what passes. At such times, we are not to remit, but to double our
diligence in prayer, reiterating our cries — " Lord save us ! we perish."
Then will he " awake and arise, and rebuke the winds and the seas^
and there shall be a calm."
25. Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it : let them not
say, We have swallowed him up.
Messiah prayeth for an end of his sufferings ; that the enemies of
mankind might not triumph in his destruction ; that death might
not finally " swallow him up," but be itself " swallowed up in victory."
The church daily maketh the same request.
26. Let them, or, they shall, be ashamed and brought to confusion together,
that rejoice at mine hurt : let them, or, they shall, be clothed with sha.me and
dishonour, that magnify themselves against me.
The accomplishment of this prediction, by the resurrection of Jesus,
and tbe destruction of Jerusalem, is well known. There are two
events to come parallel to those two which are past, viz. the resurrec-
tion of the faithful, and the destruction of the world ; when all who,
like the Jews, have "rejoiced in the hurt" of Messiah, and have
" magnified themselves against him," will, like the Jews, be covered
with everlasting " confusion."
27. Let them, or, they shall, shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righr
teous cause : yea, let them, or, they shall, say continually. Let the Lord be mag^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 143
nified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 28. And my
tongue shall speak of thy righteousness^ and of thy praise^ all the day long.
As the preceding verse foretold the sorrow of the enemies, so these
two describe the joy of the friends to Messiah upon his victory and.
exaltation, whicii have been, and shall continue to be, celebrated by
the church in these divine hynjns, indited by the Holy Spirit for that
pujpose, until the songs of time shall end in the hallelujahs of eter-^
nity.
PSALM XXXVI.
ARGUMENT. — In the first four verses of this Psalm, the prophet describeth the prin-
ciples, the actions, the conversation, and the imaginations of his wicked persecutors ;
and from thence raising his thoughts to heaven, 5 — 9. celebrateth the mercy and lov-
ing kindness of Jehovah ; for a continuation of which to himself and the church, h&
fervently prayeth, 10, 11 ; and 12. foreseeth the downfall of the ungodly.
1. The transgression of the wicked saith within my hearty that there is no
fear of God before his eyes.
If the present reading in the original be the true one, the meaning"
must be this — I'he transgressions of a bad man show plainly, in the
apprehension of a good one, that the former is destitute of a true fear
of God. Bishop Lowth, by a slight alteration or two in the text, ren-
ders it to this eftect— " 1'he wicked man, according to the wickedness
in liis heart, saith, There is no fear of God before mine eyes."* The
great tiuth which the prophet here declareth himself to be convinced
of, is, that all wickedness proceedeth from the absence of " the fear of
God," in the person who committeth it ; that fear being a principle
which, while it is predominant in the man, will restrain him from
transgression. Our laws suppose as much, when, in the form of in-
dicting a criminal, they attribute the commission of the offence to his
" not having the fear of God before his eyes."
2. For heflatlereth. himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be
hatffid; or, when his sin is ready to be found out, and to be hated.
He who hath lost " the fear of God," is first led into sin, and then
detained in it ; because having forgotten the great witness and judge
of his actions, he vainly thinks his crimes may be concealed, or dis-
guised, till a discovery breaks the charm, and disperses the delusion.
The last day will show strange instances of this folly.
3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit : he hath left off to be wise,
ami to do good; or^ to understand, that he may do good.
If the fear of God be not in the heart, " iniquity and deceit " will be
under the tongue ; and then an apostacy from wisdom and goodness,
or the wisdom of goodness, which is the only true wisdom cannot be
far off.
4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not
good; he abhor reth not evil.
* See Merrick's Annotations.
144 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
From the actions and the words of him who hafh not the fear of
God before his eyes, the prophet goeth back to the thoughts and im-
aginations of his heart, which, even in retirement and soHtude. are
busily employed upon evil, as those of the righteous are, at those
seasons, upon God and goodness. A man may know the state of
his mind, in some measure, from his morning and evening thoughts
"upon his bed." He who doth not give diligence to "set himself
in a good way," will soon be set in one that is not good ; and he who
doth not " abhor " sin, will, ere long, delight in it.
5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness ve^cheih.
unto the clouds, or, skies. 6. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains ;
thy judgments are a great deep.
From the wickedness of the world, in which we live, we must
lift up our eyes for help and comfort, to the mercy and truth of God,
boundless, pure, and beneficial, as the heavens over our heads ; to
his righteousness, fixed and permanent as the everlasting hills ; and
to his judgments, stupendous and unfathomable as the waters of the
great deep. Truth will engage mercy to accomplish the promised
salvation of the elect ; and righteousness will employ judgment in
-executing upon the reprobate the vengeance that is due.
7. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy loving
kindness, O God! therefore the children qfm^nput their trust under the slia-
dow of thy wings.
The good providence of God extendeth over all creatures, nourish-
ing and preserving them, as well as man, for whose use they were
made. We can never enough value and extol the " loving kindness "
of him, whose overshadowing " wings " protect and cherish us on
earth, in order to bear us from thence to heaven. See Matt, xxiii.
37; Duet, xxxii. 11.
8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house ; and
thou shall make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
In heaven alone the thirst of an immortal soul after happiness can
be satisfied. There the streams of Eden will flow again. They
who drink of them shall forget their earthly poverty, and remember
the miseries of the world no more. Some drops from the celestial
cup are sufficient, for a time, to make us forget our sorrows, even
while we are in the midst of them. What then may we not expect
from full draughts of those pleasures which are at thy right hand, O
Lord, for evermore ?
9. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.
The rivers before mentioned flow from a "fountain " which fetch-
eth not supplies from without, but whose spring is within itself, and
therefore can never be exhausted. The "water of life" proceeds
from " the throne of God and the Lamb." Rev. xxii. L " This is
life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent." John xvii. 3. God, like the sun, cannot be seen,
but by the light which he himself emits.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. t45
10. O continue thy loving kindness unto them that know thee; and thy righ-
teousness to the upright in heart.
The prophet groaning under the oppression of the wicked, who
are described in the first part of the Psalm, prayeth for a continua-
tion of the mercies of God, which he has celel3rated in the second
part. Give us, O God, the knowledge of thee, and make us upright
in heart, that thy loving kindness and thy righteousness may be our
portion for ever.
11. Let not the foot of pride come against me; and let not the hand of the
wicked remove me.
The CPnistian has reason enough to join with the prophet in this
petition, Avhether we suppose it to deprecate destruction from proud
men and sinners without us, or from pride and sin within us.
12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen : they are cast down, and shall
not be able to rise.
Faith calleth things that be not, as though they were ; it carries
us forward to the end of time ; it shows us the Lord, sitting on his
throne of judgment ; the righteous caught up to meet him in the
air ; the world in flames under his feet ; and the empire of sin fallen
to rise no more.
SEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XXXVII.
ARGUMENT.— From the beginning to the end of this Psalm, the Holy Spirit, by the
prophet, administeretfi advice and consolation to the church and people of the Lord,
opposed and afflicted in the world, by prosperous and triumphant wickedness. Faith
and patience are, therefore, recommended, upon the double consideration of that sure
reward which awaiteth the righteous, and that certain punishment which shall be in-
flicted on the wicked. These two events are set before us in a variety of expressions,
and under many lively and affecting images. As the Psalm is rather a collection of
divine aphorsims on the same subject, than a continued and connected discourse, it
admitteth of nothing farther in the way of argument.
1. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the
workers of iniquity. 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, (ind
wither as the green herb.
The Holy Spirit here prescribeth a remedy to a very common, and
no less dangerous disorder of the mind, namely, a distrust of God's
providence, occasioned by frequently beholding the prosperity of the
wicked, in this present world. He who alloweth himself time to
consider, how soon the fairest spring must give place to a burning
summer, a blighting autumn, and a killing winter, will no longer
envy, but pity, the fading verdure of the grass, and the still more
transient glories of the flowers of the field. Herbs and plants are
medicinal in more senses than one.*
* See an elegant and beautiful discourse on " the lilies of the field ;" published among
the Sermons of the late learned, ingenious, and worthy Dr. Tottie.
19
146 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall thou dwell in the land, and
verily thou shall he fed : or, dwell in the land, Mud feed on truth, or, faithful-
ness.
The consideration of the speedy and tragical end of sinners, af-
fordeth a powerful argument for perseverance in faith and hoHness ;
for continuing in the church, and making our abode in the pastures
of truth ; until, in the strength of that sacred viand, we come to the
heavenly land of promise, and dwell therein for ever.
4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of
thine heart.
He who delighteth in the creature, hath not always " the desires
of his heart" granted, nor is it fit that he should have them ; but he
who delighteth in God, will desire what he delighteth in, and obtain
what he desireth.
5. Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him.; and he shall bring it
to pass. 6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy
judgment as the noon-day.
Malice and calumny may, for a time, overshadow the splendour
of a holy character ; but the sun will come forth, and the clouds will
fly away. This w^as most eminently true of the blessed Jesus, at
his resurrection, and will be verified in his saints, at the last day.
The history of Susannah affordeth a remarkable instance of it in
this hfe. " Her heart trusted in the Lord, and he brought forth her
righteousness as the hght ; insomuch that all the assembly cried out
with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust ia
him." Ver. 35, 60.
7. Rest in, or, be silent to the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not
thyself because of him who prosper elh in. the way, because of the man who
brlngeth wicked devices to pass.
If the spotless Lamb of God was dumb, before those who were di-
vesting him of his honours, and robbing him of his life, " silent" resig-
nation cannot but become one who suffers for his sins. Israel was
commanded to "stand still, and see the salvation of God;" but the
people gazed upon the pomp and power of Pharaoh, who was in pur-
suit of them, till their faith failed, and they began to murmur and
despond. How often is this our case, before we perceive it !
8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do^
evil. 9. For evil doers shall be cut off ; but those that wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth.
At the day of judgment, when " evil-doers shall be cut off" by the
flaming sword of eternal vengeance, and when the saints of the
Most High shall " inherit the new earth," the latter will have no
emotions of anger or envy against the former. Let them so medi-
tate on that day, as to make it present to their minds, and they will
have no such emotions now.
10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be : yea, thou shall dili-
gently consider his place, and it shall not be.
The whole duration of the world itself is but "a little while" in.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 147
the sight of hhn whose hope is full of immortahty. But the calami-
ties and deaths of princes ; the tragical fate of empires, swept with
the besom of destruction ; the overtiirow of cities, whose dimensions,
towers, and palaces, once astonished the earth, but whose " place" is
now nowhere to be found by the most curious and dihgent inquirer ;
and the desolations of the chosen city, Jerusalem ; all these are even
now sufficient to draw forth the tear of commiseration, and to extin-
guish the kindling spark of envy in every considerate mind.
11. But the meek shall inherit the earthy and shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace.
The " meek " are they who bear their own adversities, and the
prosperity of their enemies, without envy, anger, or complaint. For
these there is a possession in the kingdom and city of " the prince
of peace," which "the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give them at
that day." " Blessed are the meek," saith the Lord and Judge him-
self, " for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. v. 5. " In the mean-
time, they, and they only, possess the present earth, as they go
towards the kingdom of heaven, by being humble and cheerful, and
content, with what their good God has allotted them. They have
no turbulent, repining, vexatious thoughts that they deserve better,
nor are vexed when they see others possessed of more honour, or
more riches, than their wise God has allotted for their share. But
they possess what they have with a meek and contented quietness ;
such a quietness as makes their very dreams pleasing, both to God
and themselves." Walton's Complete Angler, p. 295.
12. The wicked plotteth against thejust^ and gnasheth upon him with his
teeth. 13. The Lord shall laugh at him; for he seeth that his day is coming.
The originul enmity between the wicked one and the Just One, will
always subsist between the wicked and the just. The rage of the
former against the latter is compared to that of mad dogs, or wild
beasts ; but a day is coming when all that rage must be turned and
employed against themselves ; God, who knoweth this, contemneth
their vain efforts ; and Christians, who know it, and are under the
protection of God, should do the same.
14. The wicked have drawn out the sword^ and have bent their bow, to cast
down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation, or,
upright of way. 15. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their
bow shall be broken.
The tongue is a "sword," and a "bow" which shooteth its arrows,
even bitter words, against the humble and upright Jesus, and his
disciples. But these are not the only weapons that have been drawn
against them. How the malice of the Jews returned upon their own
heads, no one is ignorant ; though few lay it to heart, and consider
them as set forth for an example.
16. A little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many
wicked. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord up-
holdeth the righteous.
A little, with the blessing of God upon it, is better than a great
148 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
deal, with the encumbrance of his curse. His blessing can multi-
ply a mite into a talent, but his curse will shrink a talent to a mite.
By him " the arms of the wicked are broken," and by him the " righ-
teous are upholden ;" so that the great question is, whether he be with
us or against us ; and the great misfortune is, that this question is
seldom asked.
18. The Lord kncweih the days of the upright ; and their inheritance shall
be for ever. 19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days
of famine they shall be satisfied.
The favour of God is, to them that obtain it, a better and an en-
during substance, which, like the widow's barrel and cruse, wasted
not in the evil days of famine, nor will fail in that evil day of eter-
nal wantj when the foolish virgins shall be calling in vain for oil, and
the rich glutton as vainly imploring a drop of water to cool his tongue.
20. But the wicked, shall perish^ and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the
fat of lambs: they shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away.
The destruction of the wicked is here again set before us, but
under a different image, namely, that of a sacrifice. Senseless as
cattle, they are fatted for the altar, they wanton in their prosperity,
and nourish their hearts against the day of slaughter. In the mean-
time, the Almighty is whetting that sword which nothing can with-
stand ; and those fires are kindling, which shall never be extinguish-
ed. See Isa. xxxiv. 6 — 10.
21. The wicked borrow eth, andpayeth not again; but the righteous show-
eth mercy, and giveth.
The wicked man, like his leader, the " wicked one," payeth not
those whose money or abihties he hath occasion to borrow, and to
employ in his service ; whereas the disciple of Christ in imitation of
his master, not only punctually observeth the rules of justice and
equity, but thinketh it " more blessed to give than to receive." In like
manner, though both are indebted, for every thing, to the bounty of
God, the latter maketh all the acknowledgements and returns in his
power ; while the former never thinketh of making any.
22. For, or, therefore, such as be blessed of hvn shall inherit the earth; and
they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
They who are like their merciful and gracious Lord, and who, by
their devotion and charity, bless him, are blessed of him ; they who
are like their cruel and iniquitous master, and who by their un-
godhness, injustice, and hard-heartedness, dishonour their Maker
and Redeemer, are cursed of him. To the former, therefore, it will
be said, at the last day, " Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom ;" to
the latter, " Go, ye cursed, into the fire."
23. The steps of a good man are ordered, Heb. established, by the Lord;
and he delighteth in his way. 24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
This was emphatically true of the man Christ, whose steps Jeho-
vah established, and in whose way he delighted ; who, "though he
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 149
fell by death, yet was raised again by his mighty hand and out-
stretched arm. It is true likewise of Christians, whom it should sup-
port and comfort, in all dangers and temptations. See, for a parallel
Psal. xci.
25. I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous
forsake)!, nor his seed begging bread. 26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth;
and his seed is blessed.
So far is charity from impoverishing, that what is given away, like
vapours emitted by the earth, returns in showers of blessings into
the bosom of the person who gave it ; and his offspring is not the
worse, but infinitely the better for it. " The liberal soul shall be
made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Prov.
xi. 2.5. The bread which endureth, as well as that which perisheth,
is his ; and the blessings of time are crowned with those of eternity.
27. Depart from evil, and do good; and dioellfor evermore. 28. For the
Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints ; they are preserved for
ever: but the seed, of the wicked shall be cut off. 29. The righteous shall in-
herit the land and dwell therein for ever.
The justice and mercy of God, the rewards which await the righ-
teous, and the punishments that will, sooner or later, be inflicted on
the wicked, are subjects on which whoever shall frequently meditate,
" will depart from evil, and do good." " Whatsoever thou takest in
hand," saith the wise son of Sirach, " remember the end, and thou
shalt never do amiss." Ecclus. vii. 36.
30. T%e mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of
judgment. 31. The law of his God is m his heart ; none of his steps shall
slide.
The word which is here, as in other places innumerable, trans-
lated " the righteous," is in the singular number, and might therefore
be translated " the Righteous One," or, " the Just One ;" for it is of-
ten designed to point him out to us, who is emphatically so styled ;
whose ''mouth" always spake "wisdom," in whose "heart was the
law of God," and whose "steps" never dechned to evil. Lord, put
thy laws into our hearts, that out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth may speak, and as the mouth speaks, the hands may act,
and the feet may walk.
32. T%e wicked watch eth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. 33. The
Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
The Jews "watched" that "Just One," daily and hourly ; they
" sought to slay him," and did so ; but " Jehovah left him not in
their hands," .but vindicated his innocence, by raising him from the
dead. And the day is coming, when he who hath stood tamely at
the bar of men, and hath suffered for truth and righteousness, shall
be advanced to a throne among the saints and martyrs^ to assist at
the trial of his once-insulting judges.
34. Wait on the Lord and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit
the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
The apostle, writing to the Hebrew converts, under affliction and
150 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
persecution, thus expresseth the sentiment contained in this verse :
"Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of
reward. For ye liave need of patience, that after ye have done the
will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a httle while,
and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry." Heb. x. 35.
35. / have seen the wicked in great power ^ and spreading himself like a
green bay-tree, or, a native tree, which has grown from the seed without trans-
plantation, in the same spot. 36. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not :
yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
The great Babylonian monarch had his own exaltation, and sub-
sequent degradation, portrayed to him in a vision, under this very
image, which conveyed to the mind a most striking and affecting
idea of the rise and fall of men and empires, which have now no
existence but in history. " I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of
the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and
was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the
sight thereof to the end of the earth. The leaves thereof were fair,
and the fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all ; the beasts of
the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in
the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions
of my head upon my bed, and behold a watcher and an holy one
came down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down
the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter
his fruit ; let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from
his branches." Dan. iv. 10, 11, &c. See the prophet's exposition,
20, 21, &c. and what is said above, on verse 10 of this Psalm.
37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upHght: for the end q/that man
is peace. 38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together : the end of the
wicked shall be cut off.
After taking a view of those short-lived honours, which the world
setteth upon the heads of its most favored votaries, let us turn our
eyes to " the Perfect and upright One ;" let us behold the permanent
greatness and the unfading glory of the tree of life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God ; whose leaves are for the heaUng of
the nations, and whose fruit is the fruit of " peace."
39. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord : he is their strength in
the time of trouble. 40. A7id the Lord shall help them, and deliver them; he
shall deliver them from the wicked^ and save them., because they put their trust
in him.
Of thee, O Lord Jesu, is our salvation : be thou our strength in
this mortal life, which is a time of trouble ; help us against our spi-
ritual enemies, and deliver us from them ; deliver us from the wicked
one, and from all evil ; and save us from the guilt and punishment
thereof, because we put our trust in thee, and in thee alone.
13
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 0ff1
EIGHTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XXXVIII.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which is the third of those styled Penitential, the sin-
ner, ver. 1. prayeth to be chastened only, and not destroyed; 2 — 10. describeth the
state of his soul under various images, chiefly borrowed from bodily diseases and
pains ; 11, 12. complaineth of his friends forsaking, and his enemies persecuting him ;
but, 13 — 15. continueth patient and resigned, committing his cause to God, whom,
16 — 22. he beseecheth to help him, on his confession and repentance. As our Lord
took upon him the guilt, and suffered the punishment, of sin ; as there are some pas-
sages in the latter part of the Psalm, literally predictive of his passion, and so under-
stood by the best ancient expositors ; and as the sinner should be led by his own sor-
rows to reflect on those of his Redeemer ; the meditations of the reader are, there-
fore, under each particular, directed by the ensuing comment into that channel.
1. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath; neither chasten me in thy hot dis-
pleasure.
The petition here preferred, as in the sixth Psalm, is, that Jehovah
would not condemn as a judge, but chasten as a father, for the
amendment and preservation of the offender. The same prayer,
which we sinners make for ourselves, Christ, who bore our sins, once
made for us.
2. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseih me sore.
The " arrows" and the " hand" of God, are his judgments on sin ;
those internal pangs and terrors which pierce the soul, and those ex-
ternal afflictions and calamities which sink and weigh down the
spirits. The holy Jesus, at the time of his passion, received these
arrows, and sustained this weight, for the sins of the whole world.
8. There is no soundness in myjiesh^ because of thine anger ; neither is there
any rest^ or, peace, or, health, in my bones, because of my sin.
The expressions in this verse are applicable to the disorders and
diseases which sin hath introduced into the soul and into the body,
as the terms, "health," and "sickness," are in Scripture no less fre-
quently employed to describe the state of the former, than that of the
latter. If a single sinner thus complaineth of his grief and pain,
what must have been the agon}^ and passion of him who suffered
for all, mercifully and lovingly submitted to be " made sin for us ?"
4. For mine iniquities are gorie over my head: as an heavy burden they are
too heavy for me.
Sins and sorrows are here, as in many other places, represented
under the image of mighty waters rolling incessantly over the head
' of the person sunk into them, and by their accumulated weight de-
pressing him, so that he can no more rise above them. Let us
meditate on that deep and tempestuous ocean, into which we were
the means of plunging the innocent Jesus.
5. My wounds stink and are corrupt, through my foolishness.
Sin is the wound of the soul, which must be washed with the
tears of repentance, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and healed by
the Spirit of the Holy One. It requires great care and attention, un-
152 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
til the cure be completed. Otherwise, mortification and death ensue,
as in the case of outward wounds, if neglected, or ill managed. See^
Isa. i. 6 ; Luke x. 34. All the sores and pains of the body mystical
are lamented by him who is the head of that body, and who felt the
sad effects of these corruptions of our nature, in the day of his suffer-
ings.
6. I am troubled, Heb. writhed, or, distorted, I am bowed down greatly : I
go mourning all the day long.
As the body by pain, so the soul by guilt, is "distorted" from its
original uprightness; it is "bowed down" to the earth, through
shame and fear, being no longer able to look up towards heaven,
with its accustomed holy confidence ; and, instead of rejoicing in a
good conscience, and the hope of glory, sorrow^ is its portion, and
grief its familiar acquaintance. And what wonder that we should
be humbled and afflicted for our own sins, when the Son of God
was so humbled and afflicted for sins not his own ?
'7. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease, or, inflammation: and
there is no soundness in my fiesh.
The " disease," or, " inflammation," complained of, in these meta-
phorical terms, seems to be the distemperature of our fallen nature,
whereby it cometh to pass, that " the flesh lusteth against the spirit :"
it is that " other law in our members, warring against the law in our
minds, bringing us into captivity to the law of sin," and forcing every
son of Adam to cry out, " O wretched man that I am, who shall de-
liver me from this body of death ?" Happy is it for us, that we are
enabled to go on with the apostle, and to " thank God" that we are
delivered, " through Jesus Christ our Lord," on whom wxre laid "the
iniquities of us all."
8. / am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness
of my heart.
The vigour of a man is broken in pieces, and wasted away, by
pain and the disquietude from thence arising, which cause piercing
cries, and loud lamentations. When sin in the soul is felt like sick-
ness in the body, it will produce effects in some degree similar. Let
us reflect on the sufferings, the cries, and the tears, of our Re-
deemer.
9. Lord, all my desire ie before thee : and my groaning is not hid from thee.
The "desires" and "groans" of the penitent are known to God,
and marked down in his book ; and there is no small comfort in
thinking and acknowledging that they are so ; but much more
comfort is there in the remembrance of these inconceivable " desires,"
and those unutterable "groanings," which the holy Jesus poured
forth for us in the days of his flesh, and w^hich prevail for the accep-
tance of our own.
10. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me : as for the light of mine eyes
it also is gone from me.
In bodily sickness, there are three symptoms of approaching dia-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. IBS
solution ; and the soul is in great extremity when the three corres-
ponding symptoms appear upon her ; namely, when she hath nei-
ther resolution to will, power to perform, nor knowledge to discern
the things that belong unto her health and peace.
11. My loiters and my friends stand aloof from my sore, or, plagice, or,
affliction : and my kinsmen, or, my neighbours, stand afar off.
A body afflicted with a noisome distemper, and a soul troubled on
account of sin, find but few friends, who have charity enough to stay
with, and to minister to them. Let us not be surprised or offended
at this, when we see the righteous Jesus, at his passion, destitute and
forsaken by all ; as it is written, " Then all the disciples forsook him
and fled :" Matt. xxvi. 56 ; " and all his acquaintance, and the wo-
men that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these
things." Luke xxiii. 49
12. TViey also that seek after my life, lay snares for me : and they that seek
my hurt, speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
13. But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and I was as a dumb man, that openeth
not his mouth 14. Thus I was as a man that heareih not, and in whose
mouth are no reproofs, or, altercations.
These verses describe and recommend to our imitation the beha-
viour of David, and of a greater than David, when under persecu-
tion ; the former from Absalom, Ahithophel, Shimei, &c., the latter
from the chief priests and elders, Judas, and the Jews.
15. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope, or, thee do I wait for : thou wilt hear,
or, answer, O Lord my God.
. This verse assigns the reason why the ill usage which we receive
at the hands of men, should be borne with patience and resignation ;
namely, because, as it is not without the permission, so neither will
it be without the notice, of the Almighty, who will one day take the
matter into his own hands. Christ, saith St. Peter, " who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth, yet when he was reviled, re-
viled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not ; but com-
mitted himself to him that judgeth righteously." 1 Pet. ii. 22.
16. For I said, Hear me lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when
my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
As the glory of God may be said, in some measure, to depend on
the behaviour and fate of his servants ; on that account, besides the
stings of conscience, temporal punishments, and the danger of eter-
nal torments, good men should ever have before their eyes the dis-
honour which is brought on the name of God, and the stop which
is put to the progress of his gospel, by the fall of any eminently
righteous and holy person into sin.
17. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
IS. For 1 will declare mine iniquity: I will be sorry for my sin.
The surest way to have our weakeness strengthened, and our sin
forgiven, is to acknowledge and confess both ; and this we need not
be ashamed to do, when we consider, that he, who is the Lord strong
20
154 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and mighty, took our infirmities ; and the King of righteousness
bare our si as, in his own body, on the tree.
19. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong^ and they that hate me
wrongfully are multiplied. 20. They also that render evil for good are mine
adversaries ; because I follow the thing that good is.
These words, joined with the preceding, are apphcable to the dis-
tress of David, and the prosperity of his adversaries ; to the sufferings
of Christ, and the triumph of the Jews ; to the afflictions of the
-church, and the gaiety of the world ; to the weakness of faith, and
the strength of nature. The result of all is this, that salvation
Cometh of God only, and is to be implored in the following words,
which conclude the Psalm :
21. Forsake me not, O Lord ; O my God, he not far from me. 22. Make
haste to help me, O Lord God of my salvation.
PSALM XXXIX.
ARGUMENT. — The prophet, in a state of distress and persecution, determineth, 1
— 3. to be watchful and silent, as our blessed Lord also was, before his enemies. 4.
He praycth for a due sense of the shortness of human life ; and after meditating,
5, 6. on that subject, fixeth all his faith and hope in God, 7. whom he entreateth, but
with submission to his will, 8 — 10. for the remission of sin, and alleviation of misery.
11. From a view of the human body wearing away by sickness, be breaketh out, 12,
13. into a most fervent and affectionate prayer, which ought to be continually in the
mouth of the Christian, upon earth. This Psalm is, with the utmost propriety, ap-
pointed by the church to be used at the burial of the dead, as a funeral is indeed the
best comment upon it.
1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will
keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
The Psalm begins abruptly with the result of a meditation on the
narrow, slippery, and dangerous paths of life ; and more especially
on the extreme difficulty of restraining the tongue, amidst the con-
tinual temptations and provocations of the adversary. In these cir-
cumstances, "watchfulness" and "silence" are resolved on, as the
only means of security. Let us behold the Lamb of God, as our
great pattern and example herein.
2. / was dimib with silence, I held my peace even from good, and my sorrow
was stirred.
There is a time to keep silence, because there are men who will
not hear ; there are tempers, savage and sensual as those of swine,
before whom evangelical pearls, or the treasures of heavenly wnsdora,
are not to be cast. This consideration stirreth up fresh grief and
trouble, io a pious and charitable heart. How much more must it
have done so, in the soul of him who lived and died only for the sal-
vation of sinners !
3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire hwrned : then
spake i witji my tongue.
The fire of divine charity, thus prevented from diffiising itself, for
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. IIRJ
the illumination and warmth of those around it, and, like other fire,
rendered more intense by its confinement, presently ascended, in the
flame of devotion, towards heaven ; while it continued to be fed, and
preserved in brightness and vigour, by meditation on the goodness of
<jfod, and the ingratitude of man ; the transient miseries of time, and
the durable glories of eternity.
4. Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days ichat it
is : that / may know how frail I am.
Wearied with the contradiction of sinners, and sickening at the
prospect of so much wretchedness in the valley of weeping, the soul
looks forward to her departure from hence, praying for such a sense
of the shortness of human life, as may enable her to bear the sor-
rows of this world, and excite her to prepare for the joys of a better,
" O faithless and perverse generation," saith even the meek and pa-
tient Jesus himself, " how long shall I be with you, how long shall
I suffer you?" Matt. xvii. 17.
5. Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth, and mine age is
/IS nothing before thee : verily every man at his best state, Heb. settled, is al-
together vanity.
The age of man, or that of the world, is but a "span" in dimen-
sion, a moment in duration ; nay, it is less than both ; it is " nothing,"
if compared with the unmeasurable extent, and the unnumbered
days of eternity : every hour, from that of our birth, brings us so
much nearer to our death : nor can we continue, for a second of time,
in one stay. "Behold," then, O Lord, the " vanity " of man ; and
be so merciful unto him, as to open his eyes, that he may behold it
himself!"
6. Surely, every man walketh in a vain show, or, in a shadowy image :
surely they are disquieted in vain : he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who
shall gather them.
This world is, to the other, as a " shadow " to the substance ; nay,
temporal life, health, riches, honours, and pleasures, can hardly be
called shadows of those which are eternal, in point of resemblance ;
though for their illusive and fleeting nature, they are shadows indeed.
" The mortal state of man is compounded of light and darkness ;
seeming to be something, when really it is nothing ; always altering,
and ending on a sudden ; nearest to disappearing, when at full length ;
«ure to continue no longer than while the sun is above the horizon ;
but liable to vanish, at the interposition of a cloud ; and when it is
gone, leaving no track behind it." The fate of riches heaped up by
misers, with unutterable care and anxiety, may convince us, how
" vainly" men are " disquieted ! "
7. And now, Lord, what wait I for 7 My hope is in thee.
The soul, that hatji a true sense of the vanity of the creature, will
at once fix her thoughts and affections on the Creator. A celebrated
writer, describing a man of the world on his death-bed, hath ex-
pressed this sentiment with wonderful subUmity and elegance : — ■
156 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
" Whoever would know how much piety and virtue surpass all exter-
nal goods, might here have seen them weighed against each other,
where all that gives motion to the active, and elevation to the emi-
nent ; all that sparkles in the eye of hope, and pants in the bosom
of suspicion ; at once became dust in the balance, without weight,
and without regard. Riches, authority, and praise lose all their in-
fluence, when they are considered as riches, which to-morrow shall
be bestowed upon another ; authority, which shall this night expire
for ever ; and praise, which, however merited, or however sincere,
shall, after a few moments, be heard no more."*
8. Deliver me from all my traTisgressions ; make me not the reproach of the
foolish.
Affliction hath then had its proper effect, when the sufferer is
thereby convinced of sin, and therefore prayeth for a removal of the
latter, as the only way to be delivered from the former. The " re-
proaches" of the foolish make no inconsiderable article in the account
of a Christian's sufferings ; and our Lord frequently complaineth of
them, in the Psalms, as one of the bitter ingredients in his own cup,
9. / was dumb, I opened not my mouth ; because thou didst it.
Whatever materials compose the rod of affliction, and from whatso-
ever quarter the stroke cometh, let us remember, that the rod is grasped,
and the stroke is inflicted, by the hand of our heavenly Father. To
revenge ourselves on the instrument, is folly ; to murmur against the
agent, is something worse.
10. Remove thy stroke away from me : I am consumed by the blow of thy
hand.
The Christian, who knows from whence his troubles proceed,
knows where to apply for relief; and having first "petitioned" for
remission of sin, ver. S, he then humbly supplicates for a mitigation
of his sorrow. " Father," saith the beloved Son of God, " if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me." Luke xxii. 42.
11. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his
beauty^ or, all that is delightful, or, desirable in him, to consume away like a
moth : surely every man is vanity.
The body of man is as a " garment " to the soul : in this garment
sin hath lodged a " moth," w^hich by degrees fretteth and weareth
away, first, tlie beauty, then the strength, and, finally, the contex-
ture of its parts. Whoever has watched the progress of a consump-
tion, or any other lingering distemper, nay, the slow and silent de-
vastations of time alone, in the human frame, will need no farther
illustration of this just and affecting similitude ; but will discern at
once, the propriety of the reflection, which follows upon it : — " Surely
every man is vanity !"
12. Hear my 'prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto rri^cry : hold not thy peace
*Rambler,Vol. II.No. 54.;
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 157"
at my tears ^ for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers
were.
Meditation should terminate in devotion ; and meditation on hu-
man vanity and misery, if indulged as it deserves to be, certainly
will do so ; it will bring us to our " prayers," our " cries," and our
" tears ;" and teach us to address the throne of grace, as poor pil-
grims in a strange land, who have here no abiding city, but are soon
to strike our tents, and be gone for ever. Such was David, though
king of Israel ; and such was the Son of David, in the body of his
flesh, though Lord of all things : both were " strangers and sojourn-
ers, as all their fathers," Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were before
them, and as all their children have been and shall be after them,
upon th# earth.
13. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no
more.
Most fervently and affectionately, therefore, ought the Christian
pilgrim to pray, that God would spare his life and respite the fatal
sentence, until all that hath been decayed, through the frailty of
nature, be renewed by the power of grace , that his perfect reconcili-
ation with the Almighty may be accomplished, and his plenary par-
don sealed in heaven, before he taketh his last farewell of the world,
and ceaseth to have an existence in these regions of vanity and
sorrow.
PSALM XL.
ARGUMENT.— It is plain, from ver. 6—8. of this Psalm, compared with Heb. x. 5.
that the prophet is speaking in the person of Christ, who, 1 — 5. celebrateth the deliv-
erance wrought for his mystical body, the church, by his resurrection from the grave,
effecting that of his members from the guilt and dominion of sin ; for the abolition
of which he declareth, 6 — 8. the inefRcacy of the legal sacrifices, and mentioneth
his own inclination to do the will of his Father, and 9, 10. to preach righteousness
to the world. 11 — 13. He representeth himself as praying, while under his suffer-
ings, for his own and his people's salvation ; he foretelleth, 14, 15. the confusion and
desolation of his enemies, and, 16. the joy and thankfulness of his disciples and ser-
vants ; for the speedy accomplishment of which, 17. he preferreth a petition.
1. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my
cry.
In this verse we hear the voice of the meek Lamb of God, who,
though never sorrow was like unto his sorrow, " waited patiently,"
till the time appointed by the Father came, when that sorrow should
be turned into joy. Let not his disciples expect to " inherit the pro-
mises," otherwise than " through faith and patience." Four thousand
years, the church, under the patriarchs, the law, and the prophets,
waited for the first advent of Messiah; and, seventeen hundred
years the church, under the gospel, hath waited for the second. Je-
hovah, who inclined himself to the prayers of the former, will also
hear the cries of the latter.
158
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
2. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, Heb. a pit of confused tu-
multuous noise, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and esta-
blished my goings.
The sufferings from which our Redeemer was deUvered, are here
described under the image of a dark subterraneous cavern, from
which there was no emerging, and where roaring cataracts of water
broke in upon him, overwhelming him on every side ; till, as it is
expressed in the eighteenth Psalm, " God sent from above, and took
him, and drew him out of many waters." Let us celebrate the de-
liverance of Christ, as a pledge and earnest of our own rescue from
the troubles and temptations of hfe ; from the power of death and
the grave ; from the " horrible pit, and the miry clay ;" when we shall
be exalted on "the rock" of our salvation, and our "goings* shall be
" established " for ever.
3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God r
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Every new dehverance requires " a new song." Christians smg^
their wonderful redemption, from sin and death, in these holy hymns,
which God, by his Spirit, hath put into their mouths, and which, by
their application to matters evangelical, are become "new" songs,
setting forth the praise and glory of God, through Jesus Christ.
And who can hear the church, singing the victory and triumph of
her mighty and merciful Saviour, without being incited to " fear,"
and " to believe ?"
4. Blessed is that man that muketh the Lord his trusty and respecteth not
the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
He who is sensible how much God hath done, and how little the
world can do for him, will earnestly and heartily pronounce the bles-
sedness of the man, who relies upon the real power and goodness of
the former, instead of suffering himself to be deceived by the empty
parade and fallacious promises of the latter.
5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done,
and thy thoughts which are to vs-ward : they cannot be reckoned up in order
unto thee : if / would declare and speak of them, they are mare than can be
numbered.
The counsels and works of the ever-blessed Trinity, planned and
executed for the benefit of man, in his creation and preservation, his
redemption and sanctification, in order to his resurrection and glori-
fication, through Christ, already risen and glorified, are subjects
which can never be exhausted, by the intellectual powers of men or
angels ; but will, to both, afiford matter of incessant meditation, and
endless praise. Yet, how little do we meditate on them : how seldom,
and how coldly, do we praise God for them ! '
6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened:
burnt-offering and sin-offering host thou not required. 7. Then said I, Lo, I
come: in the volume ojthe book it is written of me, 8. I delight to do thy willy
O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart.
These words, as the apostle informeth us, Heb. x. 5, are spoken
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS-
i^
by Christ, in his own person. In them he proclaims the inefficacy
of the legal sacrifices to take away sin, and the divine disapproba-
tion of such sacrifices, when rehed on for that purpose. He sets forth
his own readiness to do, and to sufifer, the will of the Father, implied
in the Psalm by the words, " mine ears hast thou opened ;" but more
plainly expressed in the apostle's citation, by the paraphrase, " a body
hast thou prepared me."* He refers to the predictions concerning-
Messiah, in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, which is here
styled — " the volume, or roll, of the book." He declares the pleasure
he had in doing the Father's will, or in accomplishing the law ;
which had taken possession of all his powers and faculties; having
been admitted by the understanding, retained in the memory, and
rendered operative in the will. " I delight to do thy will, O my God ;
yea, thy law is within my heart."
9. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation : lo, I have not
refrained my lips ^ O Lord, thou knowest. 10. I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart j I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation : J have
not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregor-
Hon.
As the preceding verses described the priestly ofl[ice of our Lord
in the execution of which he oflTered himself, and his all-perfect obe-
dience, for us ; so, in the passage now before us, he declares himself
to have acted up to the prophetical part of his character, by " preach-
ing " the doctrines of truth, righteousness, and salvation to the people,
* For the expression, " Mine ears hast thou opened," seems equivalent to, " Thou
hast made me obedient." Thus, Isa. 1. 5. "The Lord God hath opened mine ears,
and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters,"
&c. The LXX. perhaps, meant to interpret this symbolical expression, when they
rendered it by aw/ia KarripTKno fioi, "Thou hast prepared," or, " fitted my body," that
is, to be "obedient," and to "do thy will." See Dr. Jackson, vol. ii. p. 882. This
seems to be the best sense of the present reading, and is well expressed by Mr. Mer-
rick, in his poetical version :
Nor sacrifice thy love can win,
Nor offerings from the stain of sin
Obnoxious man shall clear :
Thy hand my mortal frame prepares
(Thy hand, whose signature it bears,)
And opes my willing ear.
Mr. Pierce of Exeter proposed a conjectural alteration of the word Cj'^57N, " ears," into
the two words, nn "(X, " then a body," &c. in which case, a learned friend suggests,
n'^15, must likewise be altered to n''^^, " hast thou prepared, or finished." Bishop
Lowth wishes to adopt Mr. Pierce's emendation, in order to render the original con-
formable to St. Paul's citation from the LXX. And I must confess, if the apostle's
argument turned on the word auna, such an emendation might seem necessary. It is
true, <ra)//o XptCTTB occurs in the succeeding verse ; but I think it is not essential to the
argument, which seems to stand clear and full, whatever be the meaning of ac/ia
Karrtpriaui fioi — " When he said. Sacrifice, &c. thou wouldest not — then he said, Lo, I
come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the
second." The author of the anonymous notes in Mr. Merrick's Annotations, I find, is
of this opinion. It is not certain that the apostle argues from the word aw/io at all.
" He quotes the translation of the LXX. as he found it in his copy ; lays a stress on
what is in the Hebrew, but none on the rest ; either knowing it not to be there, or
being restrained, by the Spurit of God, from making use of it." See Appendix to Mr.
Merrick's Annot. p. 294.
160 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
without concealing aught through negligence, fear, or favour.
Happy the minister of Christ, who, on his death-bed, is able to say
the same !
11. Withhold not thc/li thy tender mercies from me, O Lord : let thy loving
kindness and thy truth alway preserve me.
The beloved Son of God here prayeth for the continuation of that
mercy, and the accomplishment of those gracious promises, to his
body, the church, which made the subjects of his heavenly discour-
ses, in the days of his flesh. Such ought to be the subjects of our
discourses, and of our prayers.
12. For innumerable evils have compassed me about : mine iniquities have
taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up ; they are more than the
hairs ofinine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
If these words, as well as the foregoing, are supposed to be spoken
by our Lord, (and indeed there doth not appear to be any change of
person,) they must be uttered by him, considering himself (for so the
primitive writers suppose him in the Psalms frequently to consider
himself) as still suffering in his body mystical, the church ; and la-
menting, as head, both the transgressions and the afflictions of the
members, accomplishing their warfare in the world. Thus much at
least we know, that, after his ascension, when the members were
persecuted on earth, the head complained from heaven, as sensible
of the pain, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?" Some critics
think the word, ^ai:?, in the text, may be translated "my punish-
ment." But the author of the anonymous notes, mentioned below,
observes, that all " punishments, properly speaking, presuppose sin ;
and especially when they are represented, as here, to overtake and
seize a person. Therefore, to understand this of Christ, it must be
interpreted of imputed sins, or punishments for them." Merrick's
Annotat. p. 295.
13. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
This short, but forcible prayer, for help and deHverance, in God's
good time, and according to his good pleasure, continues, and must
continue, to be the prayer of the church, and of all her children, until
the day of final redemption.
14. Let them,, or, they shall, be ashamed and confounded together that seek
after my soul to destroy it : let them, or, they shall, be dHven backward, and put
to shame, that wish me evil. 15. Let them, or, they shall, be desolate for a re-
ward of their shame, that say unto me, Aha, aha !
The shame, confusion, and desolation to be brought on the Jews
by the resurrection, exaltation, and power of him whose blood (hey
thirsted after, and whom they mocked and insulted when in his last
agonies on the cross, are here foretold ; and the prophecy hath been
punctually fulfilled. But a more horrible confusion and desolation
awaiteth them, and all other impenitent sinners, at the future revela-
tion of the righteous judgment of God ; when vengeance must de-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. Wl
Btroy those, whom mercy cannot reclaim. And to this ultimate
issue of things, the church directeth her views.
16. Let all those that seek thee, or, all those that seek thee shall, rejoice and
be glad in thee : let such as love thy salvation, or, such as love thy salvation
shall say continually, The Lord be magnified.
As the last verses predicted the calamities which should befal the
enemies of Messiah, this describeth the unfeigned joy and gladness,
springing up in the hearts of such as love the salvation of Jesus, and
evermoie magnify his holy name in the church, for the blessings of
redemption, "eating their meat," as tlie first Christians are said to
have done, " with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God."
Acts ii. 46.
17, But I am poor and needy ; yet the Lord thinketh upon me : thou art
my help and deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
The church, Hke her Redeemer, is often poor and afflicted in this
world, but Jehovah thinketh upon her, and is sohcitous for her sup-
port ; she is weak and defenceless, but Jehovah is her help and her
deliverer. With such a Father and such a Friend, poverty becometh
rich, and weakness itself is strong. In the meantime, let us remem-
ber, that he who once came in great humiUty shall come again in
glorious majesty. " Make no tarrying, O our God ; but come, Lord
Jesusj come quickly." Rev. xxii. 20.
EIGHTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XLL
ARGUMENT. — The application made of the ninth verse of this Psalm, John xiii. 18.
showethjthat the prophet is speaking in the person of Messiah. 1 — 3. He declareth
the blessedness of Ihe man that considereth the poor; 4. he prayeth for mercy and
favour ; 5 — 9. describeth the behaviour of his adversaries, and of one person in par-
ticular; 16. petitioneth for deliverance; 11, 12. rejoiceth in hope; and, 13. breaketh
out into thanksgiving.
1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor : the Lord will deliver him in time
of trouble: Heb. in the day of evil.
As Christ considered us, in our state of poverty, so ought we most
attentively to consider him in his ; to consider what he suffered in
his own person ; to discern him suffering in his poor afflicted mem-
bers ; and to extend to them the mercy which he extended to us. He
who was " blessed" of Jehovah, and " delivered in the evil day, by
a glorious resurrection, will "bless" and "deliver," in like manner
such as, for his sake, love and relieve their brethren.
2. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive, or, revive him ; and ^
■shxill be blessed upon the earth ; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of
Jiis enemies.
The compassionate and charitable disciple of the holy Jesus is often
21
162 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
wonderfully "preserved," and rendered prosperous, even in this-
world ; but his greatest comfort is, that like his Master, he shall one
day be " revived," to inherit the " blessing," in a better country, where
no "enemy" can approach to hurt or molest him.
3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing : thou wilt
make all his bed in his sickness.
An exemption from sorrow and sickness is not promised to the
children of God ; but strength and comfort are given unto them,
from above, to support and carry them through their trials ; and they
who, in the days of their health, have, by their alms, given rest ta
the bodies, or, by their counsels, restored peace to the consciences of
others, shall have the bed of pain made easy under them, by the
hand of their heavenly Father.
4. / said, Lord, be merciful unto me : heal my soul ; for I have sinned
against thee.
Every son of Adam may, and ought in these words, to acknow-
ledge his sin. and to entreat for mercy and grace to heal the disor-
ders of his nature. If we suppose Messiah ever to have uttered this
verse in his devotions, as we know he applied the ninth verse to his
own case, it is obvious, that he must be understood to confess the
sins, not of his own righteous person, but of the nature he had as-
sumed, in order to cleanse and purify it by his sufferings. See above^
Psal. xl. 12.
5. Mine enemies speak evil ofme^ When shall he die, and his name perish?
Here we may undoubtedly consider the poor and lowly Jesus, ia
the day of his humiliation, when he was daily and hourly calumni-
ated by his adversaries ; when, restless and impatient at beholding^
him still alive, they said, " What do we, for this man doth many
miracles? If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him.
Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone
after him," John xi. 47 ; xii. 19 : and when, grown more furious
and clamorous, they cried, " Away with him. away with him, cru-
cify him, crucify him." How many, with the same bitterness of
spirit, " speak evil" continually of his doctrines, his church, his ordi-
nances, and his ministers ; in effect, saying, " When shall he die, and
his name perish ?"
6. And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity : his heart gathereth ini-
quity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
Thus the enemies of Christ " sent out spies, who should feign
themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so
they might deUver him unto the power and authority of the governor."
Luke XX. 20. Thus Judas sat down at the last supper, all the while
meditating the destruction of his Master ; till at length, rising from
table, and going abroad, he put his design in execution : and thus
the mystical body of Christ frequently suffers, as his natural body
once did, by means of hypocrites and traitors.
A COMMENTARY o1^ THE PSALMS. 163
7. All that hate me whisper together against me : against me do they devise
my hurt. 8. An evil disease, say they, Heb. a word, or, matter of Belial,
namely, the crime charged upon him, cleaveth fast unto him ; and now that
he lieth, he shall rise up no more.
The whispers of the Pharisees, the counsels of the sanhedrim, and
their taunts and scoffs at the blessed Jesus, when on the cross,
"numbered with the transgressors," nor ever expected to "arise"
again from the dead, are here most significantly and plainly pointed
out. The same weapons are frequently employed against the ser-
vants of Christ ; but let them not be, on that account, discouraged
from following their Master.
9. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my
bread, hath lift up his heel against me.
" I speak not of you all," saith our Lord to his disciples ; " I know
whom I have chosen ; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled. He
that eateth bread with me, hath lift up his heel against me." John
xviii. 18. The sufferings of the church, like those of her Redeemer,
generally begin at home ; her open enemies can do her no harm,
until her pretended friends have delivered her into their hands : and,
unnatural as it may seem, they, who have waxed fat upon her
bounty, are sometimes the first to "hft up the heel" against her.
10. But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may re-
quite them, or, and I shall requite them.
The holy Jesus here maketh his prayer unto the Father, for the
accomplishment of the promised resurrection, and foretelleth the
righteous judgment that would be executed on his enemies, after
their rejection of the gracious offers made them, by the apostles, in
his name, notwithstanding all that they had said and done against
him. Then the kingdom of God was taken from them, and their
house was left unto them desolate. The hour is coming when the
church shall arise to glory, and all her enemies shall be confounded.
11. By this I know that thou favour est me, because mine enemy doth not
triumph over me. 12. And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,
and settest me before thy face for ever.
The Christian, like his Master, must expect sorrow and tribulation,
but he is not thereby deprived of the " favour " of heaven ; his spir-
itual enemies, whatever trouble they may give him, yet do not " tri-
umph " over him ; he is preserved in his integrity," and his reward
will be the "vision" of God. For the exaltation, therefore, of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and of all believers in, by, and through him.
13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.
Amen, and Amen.
'%*:is(
164 A COMMENTAR-P ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM XLII.
ARGUMENT. — David, by Absalom's rebellion driven from Jerusalem to the country
beyond Jordan, is there supposed to have indited this Psalm ; which, as it is applica-
ble to the case of our Lord, in his state of sojourning and suffering on earth, for our
sins ; as also, that of the church, under persecution, or that of any member thereof,
when deprived of the opportunities of public worship; so doth it, in the most beauti-
ful and pathetic strains, describe the vicissitudes of joy and sorrow, of hope and de-
Bpondency, which succeed each other in the mind of the Christian pilgrim, while,
exiled from the Jerusalem above, he sufFereth affliction and tribulation in this valley
of tears. The last is the application chiefly made in the comment, as it is the most
general and useful one ; the others naturally offer themselves, being coincident with,
or subordinate to it.
1. As the hartpanteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee,
OGod.
The thirst, which the "hart" experienced, when chased, in sultry
weather, over the dusty plains, is here set before us, as a representa-
tion of that ardent desire after the waters of eternal comfort, which
the temptations, the cares, and the troubles of the world, produce in
the believing soul. Happy they who feel this desire, and fly to the
well of life, that it may be satisfied. " Blessed are they that thirst
after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matt. v. 6.
2. My soul thirstethfor God, for the living God: when shall I come and a'p-
pear before God ?
Whoever considers what it is to " appear before God ;" to behold
the glorious face of Jesus ; to contemplate a beauty which never
fadeth ; to be enriched by a beneficence which can never be ex-
hausted, and blessed in a love unmerited and infinite; will find
abundant reason to say, again and again, " My soul thirsteth after
God ; why is the time of my banishment prolonged ? when shall the
days of my pilgrimage have an end 7 ' when shall I come and ap-
pear before God V "
3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while tliey continually say
unto Tne, Where is thy God ?
So long as the soul finds herself absent from him whom she lov-
eth, sorrow is still her portion, as well in the day of worldly prosperity,
as in the night of adversity. And this sorrow is greatly aggravated
by the taunts of the enemy ; who, because the promise is delayed,
and she suffereth aflfliction in the mean season, ridiculeth and insultr-
eth her faith and hope, as vain and groundless ; intimating that
God hath forsaken her, and tempting her to renounce her principles.
4. When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone
with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy
and praise, with a multitude that kept holiday.
As the royal prophet, when driven from Jerusalem by Absalom,
was melted into tears at the comparison of his destitute and forlorn
situation with his former glory and happiness, when, upon some joy-
ous festival, with all his subjects about hirn, he had attended the
service of the tabernacle, in the city of God ; so the Christian pilgrim
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. WB
cannot but bewail his exile from the heavenly Jerusalem, out of
which sin hath driven him, and doomed him to wander, for a while,
in the vale of misery. Led by repentance and faith, to look back to
the place from whence he is fallen, he sighs after the unspeakable
joys of the celestial Zion ; longing to keep a festival, and celebrate
a jubilee in heaven ; to join in the songs of angels, and bear a part
in the music of hallelujahs.
5. W/iy art thou cast^ or, bowed, down, O my soul? and why art thou dis-
quieted within me ? Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise him-for the help,
or, salvation, of his countenance.
The holy mourner now expostulates with his soul for suffering
herself to sink into a kind of despondency, on account of her afflic-
tions, and the insolent triumph of the {idversary ; and, as a sovereign
cordial for melancholy, prescribes "faith" in God, which will show
the morning of salvation dawning, after the night of calamity shall
have run its course, a night which cannot be long, and may be very
short. When the sun arises, we cannot be without light; when
God turns his countenance towards us, we cannot be without " sal-
vation."
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me : therefore will I remember
thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar, or,
the little hill.
The soul, although exhorted, in the last verse, to "put her trust in
God," yet, considering her own infirmity, still continueth to be de-
jected : the prophet, therefore, confesseth as much : and maketh his
complaint to God, from whom alone he expecteth comfort : and
whom he did not forget, while, far from the sanctuary, he wandered
up and down in the country beyond Jordan, whither he had fled
from the face of Absalom. The world is, to us, that " country beyond
Jordan;" Lord, make us to "remember" thee, under all the afflic-
tion and tribulation we meet with therein, until, restored to thy Je-
rusalem, we shall praise thee in heaven, for the mercies experienced
upon earth.
7. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts : all thy waves and
thy billows are gone over me.
The prophet describeth the troubles which successively came upon
him, by the vengeance of heaven, from above, "raising up evil
against him, out of his own house" and kingdom, from beneath,
according to the prediction of Nathan. 2 Sam. xii. 11. The ideas
seem to be borrowed from the general deluge, or from a storm at sea,
when, at the "sound" of descending "waterspouts," or torrents of
rain, the depths are stirred up, and put into horrible commotion ; the
clouds above calling, as it were, to the waters below, and one wav#
encouraging and exciting another to join their forces, and overwhelm
the despairing sufferer.* The whole compass of creation affordeth
* Thus, as the learned Merrick observes, one river in Homer, "calls upon another,'*
to assist in overwhelming the Grecian hero. And, in -<Eschylus, the fire and sea are
166 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
not, perhaps, a more just and striking image of the nature and num-
ber of those calamities which sin hath brought upon the children of
Adam.*
8. Yet the Lord will command Ids loving kindness in the day-time^ and iri
the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
The gloomy prospect begins again to brighten, by a ray of hope
shooting through it ; and the prophet returneth to his rest and confi-
dence in the mercy of God, determining, not only to give him thanks
in the day of prosperity, but, as Paul and Silas afterwards did, to sing
his praises at midnight in adversity and affiiction.
9. I will say unto God my rock^ Why hast thou forgotten me? JVhy go I
Tnourning because of the oppression of the enemy 7 10. As with a sword in
my hones, mine enemies reproach vie ; while they say daily unto Tne, Where is
thy God?
He ventureth, notwithstanding, meekly and humbly, upon the
strength of the promises, to expostulate with him, who was the
"rock" of his salvation, as to his seeming destitution, while continu-
ally oppressed and insulted by the cutting reproaches of the adversary.
See above, ver. 3. These might be thought to render it in some
sort necessary for God to arise, and vindicate his own honour, by the
protection and deUverance of his servant. The Psalmist concludes
with that exhortation to his soul, to trust in God, and to wait for his
salvation, which makes the mournful chorus of this beautiful Psalm :
11, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
within me ? Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise him, who is the health
of my countenance, and my God. See above, ver. 5.
PSALM XLIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm seemeth to be a continuation of the former, written by
David in the same circumstances, on the same subject, and closing with the same
chorus.
1. Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly, or, ttn?/iem-
ful nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
David, in the same situation as before, appealeth to God, against
a people who had driven their sovereign from his capital to wander
like a fugitive and vagabond in the remotest parts of his dominions ;
against the hypocrisy of Absalom, and the villany of Ahithophel.
The son of David may be supposed to make the same appeal against
the same nation, for their far more cruel, treacherous, and iniquitous
Hkid to " swear together," and to give each other their " pledge of confederacy," against
the Grecian army.
* Since the above was written, I find the author of " Observations on divers Pas-
sages of Scripture " agreeing entirely with me in the notion, that David is here de-
scribing those waterspouts, and storms at sea, which wore common on the Jewish coast,
as we learn from Dr. Shaw, Observations, p. 324, 1st edit. So Mr. Merrick likewise,
in his Annotations.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 167
usage of him, their King and their God. And the Avords suit the
circumstances of an oppressed church, or an injured prince, of all
who suffer for truth and righteousness' sake, or who groan under th©
tyranny of their spiritual enemies, the world, the flesh, and the
"devil.
2. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? Why
go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? See above, Ps. xlii. 9.
3. O send out thy light aiid thy ti^th : let them lead me ; let them bring me
unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
The chief desire of the Christian, analogous to that of the prophet
in distress, is to be saved from sin as well as sorrow ; to be instructed
in the way of righteousness, by the "light" of heavenly wisdom,
shining in the face of Jesus Christ ; to see the accomplishment of
the promises, in him who is the " truth ;" and to be " led," by this
light and this truth, from the land of his pilgrimage, to the " holy
hill," and the " mansions " of the just, in the new Jerusalem.
4. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy, or, the
/gladness of my joy : yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
The royal prophet, upon his restoration to his throne, was to sacri-
iice on the altar of his God, with the voice of thanksgiving, and to
celebrate his mighty Deliverer, in a new song, upon the melodious
harp. The Christian, in hke manner, foresees a day coming, when
sorrow and sighing shall be no more ; when he and his brethren are
to be " made kings and priests ;" when they are to reign with their
Redeemer for ever ; and upon their golden harps, tuned to an unison
with those of angels, to sing his everlasting praises in the courts of
^he heavenly temple. Therefore,
5. WJiy art thou cast down, O my soul ! and why art thou disquieted within
7ne ? Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my
i countenance^ and my God. See above, Ps. xlii. 5.
NINTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XLIV.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm we hear the voice of the church, under persecution ; 1
— 3. recounting the mercies of God vouchsafed to his servants of old time ; 4 — 8. de-
claring her confidence, that she shall experience the same in her present distress, and
shall at length overcome through the power of her Redeemer ; for that, notwithstand-
uig her seeming desertion and manifold sufferings, 9 — 16. there is still a faithful rem-
nant, 17 — 22. of those who have not bowed the knee to Baal, and who cease not,
23 — 26. to cry unto God for mercy and deliverance.
1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what
works thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
The works wrought of old, by the arm of Jehovah, for the salva-
tion of his people, are recorded by the Spirit in the Scriptures of truth,
that " through patience and comfort of those Scriptures," as the apes-
168 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
tie expresses it, the church and people of God, whensoever oppressed
and afflicted, in any age or country, "may have hope," that the
same God will exert the same power in their behalf. And great is
the light, great is the consolation, which the sacred history when
thus applied, will always afford to the troubled mind.
2. How thou didM drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst tJiem :
how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
If the dispossession of the Canaanites, and the establishment of the
house of Jacob in their land, furnished the distressed church of Israel
with sufficient ground for confidence ; how much force hath the ar-
gument since received, by the accomplishment of what was then-
typified ; by the victories of the true Joshua, or Jesus, by the fall of.
Paganism, and the plantation of the Christian faith in its stead ?
3. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did
their own arm save them ; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light
of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.
As it sufficiently appears, that the settlement of Israel in the prom-
ised land was the work of God, from the miraculous fall of .Jericho ;
from the prolongation of the day, at the word of Joshua ; from the
slaughter of the enemy by hailstones from heaven, (fee. <fec. so was
it the first thing which an Israelite was in duty bound to acknowl-
edge, if he hoped for more mercies at the hand of God. The Chris-
tian, in like manner, begins and ends all his prayers with an hum-
ble and thankful acknowledgement of the free mercy of God and
Jesus Christ ; confessing, that he "got not" his title to salvation,
nor should enter into the possession of it, by his own power and merit,
but by "the right hand and the arm of his Redeemer, and the
light of his countenance, because he had a favour unto him."
4. Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
In these words the church sums up her argument ; as if she had
said, O thou, who, going forth before thy people, hast so often and
so wonderfully wrought salvation of old time, I still acknowledge
thee as my King, able and wiUing to save ; O manifest yet again
thy power, yet again let me experience thy mercy. Behold all things
are at thy command ; all events are at thy disposal. O gracious
Saviour, let all work together for good, to her whom thou lovest.
5. Through thee will we push down our enemies : through thy name wiU we
tread them under that rise up against us.
The people of God, however persecuted by the power of the Avorld,
here declare, that their faith faileth not ; that the adversary cannot
take from them their holy confidence in God, through whom, and in
whose saving name, whenever he shall think fit to hear their prayers,
and to appear in their cause, they doubt not of obtaining a final vic-
tory, and celebrating a glorious triumph, over all their enemies, ter-
restrial and infernal. Such should be the hope of every afflicted
soul.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 1§9
6. Far 1 will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sward save me. 7. But
thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to sham£ that hated
us. 8. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever.
In spiritual, as well as temporal warfare, the appointed means are
to be used, but not " trusted in ;" man is to fight, but God giveth the
victory ; and to him must be ascribed the praise, and the power, and
the glory ; that, as it is written, " He who glorieth, may glory in the
Lord." And thus the Christian church daily singeth after the ex-
ample of her blessed and holy representative, " My soul doth mag-
nify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour."
9. But thou hast cast off, and put us to shaTue ; and goest not forth with
our armies.
The church having declared her confidence, founded on the
former mercies of God vouchsafed unto her, proceedeth now to de-
scribe her pitiable state under persecution, when the protection of the .
Almighty seemed, for a season, to be withdrawn, so that she was no
longer able to stand before her enemies.
10. Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy ; and they which hate U9
spoil for themselves.
The first consequence of a victory, gained by the enemies over
the friends of the church, is rapine and sacrilege ; the invasion of
her patrimony, and the plunder of her revenues ; allured by the
prospect of which, robbery hath sometimes entered into the sanctu-
ary, under the mask of reformation.
11. Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hath scattered
us among the heathen.
The second calamity which is permitted to fall on the church, in
the day of adversity, is, that her people are doomed to sudden and
cruel deaths by sanguinary edicts. A third calamity is that of their
being driven, in times of persecution, from their native country, to
wander among strangers and aliens, or among those in whose com-
munion it is judged unlawful to join.
12. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by
their price.
A fourth misery incidental to the people of God, when under per-
secution is, that he permits them to be held cheap and vile, and to
be sold into slavery by their enemies, for little or nothing ; a situa-
tion far more to be dreaded than the sword of the executioner.
13. Th^u makest its a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to
them that are round about i/s. 14. Thou makest us a by-word among the hea-
then; a shaking of thy head among the people. 15. My confvsion is continu-
ally before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me ; 16. For the voice
of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and aven-
ger.
The fifth and last bitter fruit of persecution is, that thereby the
^name, and truth, and church, and people of God, are exposed to the
*^insoIent and blasphemous scoflfs and jeers of infidels ; nor is there
22
170 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
any circumstance to a pious soul more grievous and afflictive than
this.
17. All this is come upon us ; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we
dealt falsely in thy covenant. 18. Our heart is not turned hack, neither have
our steps declined from thy way ; 19. Though thou hast sore broken v^ in the
place of dragons^ and covered us with the shadow ofdeaih.
It is certain that God is provoked, by the sins of a church, to let
loose the fury of the oppressor upon her. This is acknowledged by
Daniel in his prayer ; ch. ix. ; by the three children in the furnace ;
Song ver. 5. 6 ; by the Maccabean martyrs, suffering under Anti-
ochus ; 2 Mace. vii. 18 ; and by Cyprian, and others, in the primitive
times. It is not less certain, that no mere man can say, he is free
from transgression. The verses now under consideration, are not,
therefore, spoken by the whole church, but by the faithful remnant j
nor do they imply an exemption from all sin, but a steadfast perse-
verance in the profession of God's true religion, from which it is the
aim of persecution to seduce, or to force them. The malice of the
tormentors is here compared to the venom of "serpents;" and the
state of a suffering church, to the gloom of " death " itself Happy
the soul, that, in the extremity of affliction, can, with humble confi-
dence, thus make her appeal to God, as having held fast her integrity
against all the efforts made to wrest it from her, and not having suf-
fered the blasts of adverse fortune, by wearing out patience, to part
her from the anchor of faith.
20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to
a strange god; 21. Shall not God search this out; for he knoweth the secrets
of the heart.
The consideration, that "God is greater than our heart, and
knoweth all things," 1 John iii. 20, ought to be strongly impressed
on our minds at all times; but more particularly when we are
tempted by the world (as, one way or other, we all frequently are) to
deny our master, either by word or deed ; and when we have occa-
sion to call heaven to witness our uprightness, under such tempta<
tion.
22. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long : we are counted as sheep
for the slaughter.
The sufferings of the martyrs were a sufficient proof that they had
not yielded to the temptations of the enemy. St. Paul, Rom. vh. 36,
cites this verse as predictive of the persecutions then beginning to be
raised against the Christians. All may apply it to themselves, who
are in circumstances of the same nature ; and persecution is generally
consistent with itself, contriving, by some means or other, to be rid
of those who stand in its way. It is a storm, before which all must
either bend or be broken.
23. Awake, why steepest thou, O Lord? Arise cast us not off for ever,
24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our op-
pression ?
There is a time, when the triumphs of the adversary, and the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. VTt
afflictions of the church, tempt men to think that the eye of Provi-
dence is closed, or turned away, and that the Almighty hath ceased
to remember their sad estate. But the truth is, that God only giveth
his people an opportunity of feeling their own insufficiency ; and
waiteth till, by fervent and importunate prayer, they solicit his help.
For so the holy Jesus slept, while the ship was covered with the
waves ; until, awakened by the cries of his disciples, he arose to their
assistance, and spoke the tempest into a perfect calm.
25. For our soul is bowed down to the dust ; our belli/ cleaveth unto the
earth.
They who are not brought into this state of humiliation by out-
ward sufferings, should bring themselves into it by inward mortifi-
cation and self-denial, by contrition and abasement, if thy would put
up such prayers as the Majesty of heaven will deign to accept and
answer ; if they would repeat with our church, in the spirit of the
Litany, the concluding verse of this Psalm —
26. Arise for our help, and redeem us, for thy mercies' sake.
PSALM XLV.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which is one of those appointed to be used on Christ-
mas-day, the prophet, after, 1. proposing his subject, proceeds to celebrate King
Messiah, 2. for his spiritual beauty and eloquence ; 3, 4, 5. his power and victories ;
6. his throne and sceptre ; 7. his righteousness and inauguration ; 8. his royal robes,
and glorious palace. 9. The church is introduced as his spouse ; her appearance and
dress are described; 10, 11, 12. it is foretold, that the nations shall bring their offer-
ings to her ; 13, 14, 15. her attire, her presentation to Christ, with her attendant
train, and the universal joy and gladness, occasioned by the solemnization of the
nuptials, are set forth. 16. The prophet predicteth the fruits of this divine union ;
and, 17. the use that should be made of his sacred epithalamium by the faithful, from
generation to generation.
1. My heart is inditing, Heb, boileth, or, bubbleth up, a good matter, or, th£
good word: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my
tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
" The Spirit of the Lord," saith David elsewhere, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2,
^' spake by me, and his w^ord was in my tongue." In hke manner,
we are to conceive the prophet here to be full of the divine Spirit,
which inspired him wdth the " good word," or the glad tidings of sal-
vation. The sacred fire, inclosed in his heart, expanded itself w^ithin,
till at length it brake forth with impetuosity, to enlighten and to
revive mankind with this glorious prediction, " touching the King,"
Messiah ; and this was uttered by his tongue, under the guidance
of the Spirit, as in writing the pen is directed by the hand that
holds it.
2, Tliou art, fairer than the children of men : grace is pcmred into thy lips f
therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
After a short introduction, the prophet stays not to enter regularly
xipon the subject, in the formal way of narration ; but, as if he saw
172 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the Divine Person, whom he was about to celebrate, standing before
him, he breaks out in ecstatic admiration of the second Adam, so
different from all the descendants of the first ! compounded of a soul
fair above all created spirits, and a body pure and perfect, and now
brighter than the meridian sun ; being invested with the unutterable
effulgence of the Divine nature. Next to the spiritual beauty of Mes-
siah, the prophet is astonished (as those who heard him speak, in
the days of his flesh, afterwards were) at " the gracious words which
proceeded out of his mouth," Luke iv. 22, through the " grace poured
into his lips." Such honey and milk were under his tongue, so de-
lightful and salutary was his doctrine, that even his enemies found
themselves obliged to confess, " never man spake like this man."
John vii. 46. His word instructed the ignorant, resolved the doubt-
ful, comforted the mourners, reclaimed the wicked, silenced his ad-
versaries, healed diseases, controlled the elements, and raised the
dead. Therefore hath the Father loved, and exalted, and blessed
% him for evermore.
3. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty^ with thy glory and thy
TTUijesty.
The prophet having described the beauty and the eloquence of
the king, proceedeth now to set forth his power, and to arm him, as
a warrior, for the battle. The " sword " of Messiah is his Word,
which, in the language of St. Paul, is said to be " quick and power-
ful, and sharper than any two-edged sword," and is represented by
St. John as a sharp two-edged sword, coming out of the mouth of
Christ. Heb. iv. 12; Rev. i. 16. With this weapon he prevailed,
and thereby made his "glory and majesty" to be known tfhroughout
the world.
4. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because, or, for the sake, of trut\
and meekness^ and righteousness: and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible,
or, wonderful things.*
Messiah is in these words magnificently described, as making his
progress among the nations, seated in his triumphal chariot, adorned
with all the regal virtues, achieving the most astonishing victories,
and, by the irresistible might of his power, subduing idolatry and
iniquity, to the faith and temper of the gospel.
5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies ; whereby the
people fall under thee.
The prophet goes on to represent Messiah as a warrior, completely
armed, and skilful in the use of every weapon. Thus a prince is
portrayed, Rev. vi. 2 : " I saw, and behold a white horse, and he
that sate on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him ; and
he went forth conquering, and to conquer." The conquests of Mes-
* " The sense, perhaps, may be this : Thy right hand, by its promptness to encounter
danger, shall bring thee acquainted with terrible things : thy right hand shall know its
office ; by habitual exercise, shall render thee expert in war, and lead thee on frorn^
conquest to conquest." — Merrick.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 1T3
siah are either those of his word over sin, or those of his arm over
the persecuting powers.
6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever : tlie sceptre of thy kingdom is
a right sceptre.
The battle being fought, and the victory gained, we are called to
the consideration of the "throne" and "sceptre" of King Messiah,
whom the prophet addresseth as God. His throne is distinguished
from the thrones of this world, by its endless duration ; his sceptre,
from the sceptres of earthly potentates, by the unerring rectitude of
its administration.
7. Thou lovcst righteousness, and haiest wickedness : therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
The sermons, the example, and, above all, the death of Christ, for
the expiation of sin, demonstrated his love of righteousness, and ha-
tred of wickedness ; and, " because he humbled himself, and became
obedient even to the death of the cross, therefore God highly exalted
him ;" Phil. ii. 8, 9 ; and he was " anointed" to the kingdom, " with
the Holy Ghost, and with power" immeasurable; to the intent that
he might bestow, in due proportion, the gifts of heaven on those
whom he is not ashamed to call "friends" and "brethren." And
these gifts he did bestow on them, by the emission of the Spirit, soon
after his ascension and inauguration. See the application of these
last two verses to Christ, Heb. i. 1, 9.
8. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces,* whereby they have made thee glad.
From the throne, the sceptre, and the inauguration, the prophet
passes on to the robes and palaces of the King of glory, declaring,
that as the perfumed garments of an earthly prince scatter through
all the royal apartments a grateful fragrance, so from the glorious
vestments of our High Priest and King is diffused the sweet savour
of his heavenly graces, fiUing those happy regions of joy and glad-
ness, where he keeps his residence above, and, by the communica-
tion of the Spirit, refreshing the faithful on earth with their odours.
9. King^s daughters were among thy honourable women, or, the splendour
of thy train; upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Such being the divine beauty, and heavenly glory, of the blessed
Person, whose nuptials the prophet is now proceeding to describe, it
is no wonder that, upon hearing of his fame, innumerable converts,
forsaking the vanities even of courts and kingdoms, should follow
him, ambitious to have the honour of composing his train ; which
in reality was the case, upon the publication of the gospel. And lo,
at " the right hand " of the King, followed by this magnificent pro-
cession, appears the Church, the spouse of the Lamb, arrayed in the
garments of righteousness and salvation, fitly compared, for their in-
estimable value, and radiant brightness, to the " gold of Ophir."
* That is, palaces adorned, or inlaid, with ivory ; as " Ebur tria vestit j" Lucan. x.
X 19.— Merrick.
174 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. Hearken^ O daughter^ and consider, and incline thine ear, forget also
thins own people, and thy father'' s house : 11. So shall the king greatly desire
thy beauty ; for he is thy Lord ; and worship thou him.
This seemeth to be the voice of God, addressing the church to the
following effect : O thou whom I have begotten unto a lively hope,
by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and whom I have called
out of the world, to become " the Lamb's wife," hearken diligently to
my voice, consider attentively what I say, and be obedient to my
direction : thou art now entering into a new state ; let old things pass
away ; regard no more thy connexions with earth ; but let the love,
and, if possible, the very memory, of thy former condition be oblit-
erated from thy mind ; let all things belonging to the flesh die in
thee : then shalt thou be truly acceptable and dear in his sight, who,
having* purchased and betrothed thee to himself, justly claims thy
whole heart, thy undivided love, and thy unlimited service and ado-
ration.
12. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even th£ rich
among the people shall entreat thy favour.
The accession of the Gentiles, with their offerings and donations,
to the church, is here predicted under the name of " Tyre," a city in
the neighbourhood of Palestine, formerly the glory of the nations, and
mart of the world. See Isa. Iv. and Rev. xxi.
13. The king^s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought
gold.
The church, in difTerent respects, is sometimes called tke spouse,
sometimes the sister, and often, as here, the "daughter" of the hea-
venly King ; the connexion formed between them uniting in itself
every relation, and every affection. Her beauty, so greatly desired
and delighted in by Messiah, is spiritual ; it is the beauty of holiness ;
and her clothing is " the righteousness of saints." 1 Pet. iii. 3 ; Rev.
xix. 8.
14. She shall he brought unto the king in raiment of needlework, or, embroi-
dery: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
The different graces of the faithful, all wrought in them by the
same Spirit, compose that divine "embroidery" which adorns the
wedding garment of the church, who is therein presented to the
King, attended by the bridemaids, after the nuptial manner. These
are either the single churches, or holy souls, that accede to and ac-
company the spouse, unless we suppose as some do, that the bride is
the Israehtisli church, and then the attendants will represent the
Gentiles.
15. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into
the king^s palace.
The solemnization of this marriage between Christ and the churchy
produceth a jubilee upon earth, and causeth the streets of the hea-
venly Jerusalem to resound with hallelujahs. For this the angels
tune their golden harps, while prophets, apostles, martyrs, and saints
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. !K?5
fill up the universal chorus of " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,
for ever and ever."
16. histead of thy fathers shall he thy children, whom thou Tnayest nriake
princes in all the earth.
In this verse the prophet foretelleth the fruit that should spring
from the glorious nuptials which he hath been celebrating. He
assureth the spouse, that instead of her earthly kindred, whether
Jewish or Pagan, which she was to leave for Christ, should arise an
illustrious, and royal progeny of believers, out of whom were to be
chosen Christian kings to govern the world, and Christian bishops to
preside in the church. The expression, "whom thou mayest make
princes" may answer to that in the Revelation, ch. i. ver. 6, "And
hath made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father." So Mr.
Merrick thinks, who beautifully turns the passage, in his poetical
version, as follows : —
No more the patriarchs of thy line,
In time's long records chief shall shine ;
Thy greater sons, to empire born,
Its future annals shall adorn,
Thy pow'r derived to them display,
And stretch through earth their boundless sway.
17. / vnll make thy name to be remembered in all generations : therefore
shall the people praise thee for ever and ever
By inditing this divine marriage-song, appointed to be sung in
the congregation of the faithful from age to age, the Psalmist hath
been, as he foresaw he should be, the blessed means of celebrating
his Redeemer's name, and inciting the nations of the world to do
likewise ; nor will he cease to be so, while the forty-fifth Psalm con-
tinues to be sung in the church upon earth ; that is, while there re-
maineth a church upon earth to sing in. And we, who now do sing
it, are witnesses of these things.
PSALM XLIY.
ARGUMENT. — The church, in time of trouble, declares, 1. her trust and confidence
to be in God, and doubts not, 2, 3. of being preserved safe, by means of this anchor
in the most stormy seasons ; even then, 4, 5. enjoying the comforts of the Spirit, and
the presence of Christ in the midst of her. She describes, 6. and 7. exults in, the
power and might of her victorious Lord ; 8, 9. calling the world to view and consider
hLs wonderful works. 10. He himself is introduced, as speaking the nations into
peace and obedience. He concludes with a repetition of ver. 7. in the way of chorus.
1. God is oitr refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
As we are continually beset by "troubles," either bodily or spirit-
ual, so we continually stand in need of a city of "refuge and
strength," into which we may fly and be safe. Religion is that
city, whose gates are always open to the afflicted soul. We profess
to believe this ; do we act agreeably to such profession ?
176 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
2. Therefore will not we fear ^ though the earth he removed^ and though the
Ttiountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3. Though the waters thereof
roar and he troubled^ though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof
The church declares her full and firm confidence in God, as her
refuge and strength, amidst all the tumults and confusions of the
world, the raging of nations, and fall of empires. Nay, at that last
great and terrible day, when sea and land are to be confounded, and
every mountain and hill removed for ever ; when there is to be " dis-
tress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring ;"
even then the righteous shall have no cause to " fear," but rather to
^' lift up their heads," with joy and triumph, because then it is that
their " redemption draweth nigh." Let us set that day before us,
and try ourselves by that test.
4. There is a river ^ the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God:
the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5. God is in the midst of
her ; she shall -not he moved : God shall help her, and that right early; Heb.
when the morning appeareth.
Such is the ground on which the church erects her confidence.
Instead of those waters which overwhelm the world, she has within
herself the fountain of consolation, sending forth rivers of spiritual
joy and pleasure ; atid in the place of secular instabihty, she is pos-
sessed of a city and a hill which stand fast for ever, being the resi-
dence of the Eternal, who, at the dawn of the last morning, will
finally appear as the protector and avenger of Israel.
6. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his voice, the
earth melted.
How concise, how energetic, how truly and astonishingly sublime !
The kingdom of Christ being twofold, these words may be applied
either to the overthrow of heathenism, and the establishment of the
gospel, or to the destruction of the world, and the erection of Messi-
ah's triumphant throne. Conquer, O Lord, all our perverse afifections,
and reign in us, that we may conquer, and reign with thee.
The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge; Heb. an high
place for us.
To the "Lord of hosts" all creatures in heaven and earth are sub-
ject ; in " the God of Jacob," the church acknowledges the Saviour of
his chosen. If this person be Immanuel, God with us, of whom can
we be afraid ?
8. Corns, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the
earth. 9. He maketh wars to cease unto the end, of the earth ; he breaketh the
how, and cutfeth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
The church, in these words, proposes to us the noblest subjects for
contemplation ; namely, the glorious victories of our Lord, partly
gained already, and partly to be gained hereafter, in order to the
final establishment of universal peace, righteousness, and bliss, in
his heavenly kingdom. Then the mighty shall be fallen, and the
weapons of war perished, for ever. Hasten, O Lord, that blessed
day ; but first prepare us for it.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 177
10. Be still, and know that /am God: I will be exalted among the heathen^
J will be exalted in the earth.
In this verse there is a change of person, and Jehovah himself is
Introduced, as commanding the world to cease its opposition, to own
his power, and to acknowledge his sovereignty over all the kingdoms
of the nations. Let our rebellious passions hear this divine edict —
tremble and obey.
11. The hord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. See
^ver. 7.
NINTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XLYIL
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, appointed by the church to be used on Ascension-day,
the prophet, 1. calls the nations to celebrate so glorious a festival ; and that on ac-
count, 2. of Christ's power, and the mightiness of his kingdom ; 3. of his victories
and triumphs, through the Gospel ; 4, of the inheritance prepared for his chosen, in
the heavenly Canaan, by his own ascension thither; which, 5. is described under
the images borrowed from the ascent of the ark into the holy city and temple ; aa
occasion on wh'ch the Psalm was probably composed. 6, 7. He again and agaia
exhorts all people to sing the praises of their God and King, and to sing with the
understanding, as well as with the voice. 8, 9. The Psalm concludes with predict-
ing the establishment of Christ's kingdom, and the conversion of the Gentile kings
and nations to the faith.
1. O clap your hands, all ye people ; shout unto God with the voice of tri-
umph.
The prophet invites all nations to celebrate the festival of Messi-
ah's exaltation, because all nations had a share in the benefits and
blessings of that glorious day. God is to be worshipped with iftdily,
as well as spiritual worship: every "hand" should be lifted up to
him who formed it, and every "mouth" should praise him who giv-
eth breath for that purpose.
2. For the Lord most high is terrible ; he is a great King over all the
earth.
The church celebrates the ascension of Christ, because then he
was " highly exahed ;" then he became "terrible" to his enemies, all
power in heaven and in earth being committed to him ; and then he
began to display the excellent majesty of his universal kingdom, to
which he was then inaugurated, being crowned " King of kings, and
Lord of lords."
3. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
The consequence of our Lord's ascension was the going forth of
the all-subduing Word, under the influence and direction of which,
the convinced and converted nations renounced their idols and their
lusts, and bowed their willing necks to the yoke of Jesus. This is
that great conquest, foreshowed by the victories of Joshua, David,
178 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and all the faithful heroes of old time, and foretold in language bor-
rowed from their histories.
4. He shall choose our inheHtance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he
loved.
«
The land of Canaan, emphatically styled " that good land, and
the glory of all lands," was the " excellent inheritance" chosen for
the s >ns of Jacob, and consigned to them, upon the expulsion of the
idolatrous nations. But from that inheritance Israel also hath long
since been expelled ; and Christians, by these words, are taught to
look to "an inheritance eternal, and incorruptible, and that fadeth
not away ;" to those happy and enduring mansions which the Son
of God is gone to prepare for them that love him, and are beloved of
hini.
5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Literally, if applied to the ark, as Bishop Patrick paraphrases the
verse, " God is gone up, by the special token of his presence, into
that holy place, with shouts of joy and praise ; the Lord is gone up
in a triumphant pomp with the sound of the trumpet, and all other
instruments of music." See 2 Sam. vi. 5, 15 ; 2 Chron. v. 2, 12,
(fcc. Ps. cxxxii. 8, 9. But spiritually, as applied now by the Chris-
tian church, to the ascension of Christ into heaven, prefigured by
that of the ark into the temple — God incarnate is gone up into that
holy place, not made with hands ; the everlasting doors of heaven
are opened, for the King of glory to enter, and repossess his ancient
throne ; there he is received by the united acclamations of the celes-
tial armies, by that "shout," that voice of the archangel, and that
" trump of God," which are to sound again, in the day when he
shall " so come, in hke manner as he went into heaven."*
6. ^ng praises to God, sing praises : sing praises unto our King, sing
praises. 7. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with un-
derstanding.
Who can contemplate the glorious triumph of human nature over
its enemies, in the person of our King, risen and ascended, without
findino^ himself constrained to break forth into joy, and to sing, with
a thankful heart, and an elevated voice, the praises due unto his
holy name ! These divine hymns were designed for that purpose.
Let us therefore sing them, and let us sing them " with understand-
ing ;" considering by whom they were indited, and of whom they
treat ; reflecting, that the eternal Spirit is their author, and their sub-
ject the' blessed Jesus.
8. God reigneth over the heathen : God sitteth upon the throne of his holi-
ness.
We are never suffered to forget, that the end of Messiah's exalta-
tion to the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, was the con-
version and salvation of the world ; so continually do the prophets
» •' ' Ascendit Dens ' — A'^ceiidit area in Jerusalem cum cantu. Propheticfe, Ascen-
dit Christus in ccelum." — Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 179
and apostles delight to dwell upon that most interesting topic, the
conversion of the " nations" to the Gospel of Christ. Why do we
vainly fancy, that we belong to Him, unless his Spirit " reign" in our
hearts by faith ?
9. The princes of the people are gathered together^ even the people of the
God of Abraham : for the shields of the earth belong unto God : he is greatly
exalted.
This verse plainly describeth the kings of the Gentiles as acced-
ing to the church ; as becoming, with their subjects, through faith,
" the people of the God of Abraham," and a part of the sacred pe-
cuhum ; as submitting to God in Christ that power with which they
were invested, as "shields of the earth," or protectors of their seve-
ral kingdoms ; and as bowing their sceptres to the cross of Jesus.*
The sense of the verse, expressed in New Testament language,
would be, " the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." So
let every nation be converted unto thee, O Lord ! and every king
become thy son and servant ; until all the world shall worship thee,
sing of thee, and praise thy name !
PSALM XLVin.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is one of those which by our church are appointed io be
used on Whitsunday, because under images taken from the earthly city, Jerusalem,
newly rescued from her enemies by him who resided in the material temple on Mount
Zion, are celebrated, 1, 2, 3. the glory, the beauty, and the strength of the church
Christian, that city and temple of Messiah ; who, 4 — 7. is described as breaking in
pieces, and bringing to nothing, the opposition formed against her by the heathen
kings and emperors; on which account, 8 — 11. she expresseth her gratitude and
joy ; 12 — 14. exhorteth her people to contemplate, and transmit to posterity, an ac-
count of those wonderful works of God, the establishment and preservation of his
church in the world ; for which she wishes all generations, after her example, to adore
and praise his holy name, for ever and ever.
1. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God^ m
the mountain of his holiness.
The prophet preparing to celebrate the beauty and magnificence
of the church, begins with setting forth the praises of her great
Founder ; whose wisdom, mercy, and power, as they are conspicu-
ous in all his works, so, more especially, in this, the chief and crown
of all : for which his name can never be sufficiently extolled by the
inhabitants of the new Jerusalem : and by them it ought to be ex-
tolled, for ever and ever.
* This latter part of the verse is differently explained by the Rev. Mr. Merrick, in
his poetical paraphrase of this Psalm : —
For he, whose hands, amid the skies,
Th' eternal sceptre wield,
To earth's whole race his care applies,
And o'er them spreads his shield.
180 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
2. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the
sides of the north, the city of the great King.
How " beautiful" is the holy and heavenly Zion, or the Christian
church ; how truly is she " the joy of the whole earth," by the glad
tidings which her ministers continually publish ; how properly is this
Jerusalem styled, " the city of the great King !"
3. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
The great Founder of the church is also her protector and de-
fender ; the dependence of the new Jerusalem, like that of the old,
is not in man, or in the arm of flesh, but in the God who resideth
in the midst of her. For surely, unless he kept the holy city, the
watchmen in the towers would wake but in vain.
4. For, loj the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
Never were the power and malice of earthly princes more vio-
lently bent to hinder the building of Jerusalem, or to pull down
what was already built, than they were to prevent the edification of
the church, and to root up its foundations. But the event, with re-
gard to the latter, was the same which had often happened in the
case of the former.
5. TViey saw it, and so they marvelled ; they were troubled, and hasted
away. 6. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in
travail.
The potentates of the world saw the miracles of the apostles, the
courage and constancy of the martyrs, and the daily increase of the
church, notwithstanding all their persecutions ; they beheld with as-
tonishment the rapid progress of the faith through the Roman em-
pire ; they called upon their gods, but their gods could not help them-
selves ; idolatry expired at the foot of the victorious cross, and the
power which supported it became Christian.
7. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.
In the foregoing verse, the consternation amongst the enemies of
the church was compared to the horrors of a travailing w^oman ;
here it is likened to the apprehension of despairing mariners. Nor
indeed can any thing in nature more fitly represent the overthrow of
heathenism by the Spirit of the Gospel, than the wreck of a fleet of
ships in a storm at sea. Both are aflfected by the mighty power of
God.'
8. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in
the city of our God: God will establish it for ever.
The church heard, by the prophets, of the future birth, life, death,
* " Sensus est ; qualis ventus vehemens content naves magni maris, talis est Dei vis
tuentis Jerusalem, et hostilem exercitum dissipantis." — Bossuet. Illustrations of this
kind are sometimes introduced, by the sacred writers, with the mark of comparison ;
and frequently, as here, without it. The meaning evidently is, that as the east wind
shatters in pieces the ships of Tarshish, so the divine power struck the heathen kings
with terror and astonishment.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 181
resurrection, and ascension of Messiah ; of the effusion of the
Spirit, and her own enlargement, estabUshment, and preservation, in
the Gentile world. These predictions, which she had so often
" heard," she hath " seen" accomphshed, even unto this day ;* and
therefore doubts not of God's continuing his favour and protection
to the end of time.
9. We have thought, or, we wait in silence and patience for thy loving kind-
ness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
Contemplation of all the wondrous works which the Lord our God
hath wrought for us, produces faith in his promises, and resignation
to his will ; and he that, with these dispositions, waits for God's mer-
cies, in God's house, shall not v/ait in vain.
10. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the
earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Wherever the name of God is known, and his works are declared,
there the sacrifice of praise must needs be offered to him, by men,
who are madie sensible of his mercies towards them : and the day is
coming, when all the world shall be forced to acknowledge, that his
" right hand is full of righteousness,'' and his judgments are just.
11. Let mount Zion rejoice^ let the daughters of Judah be glad because of
thy judgm£nts.
The church, and all her children, are exhorted to rejoice, with joy
unspeakable and full of glojy, on account of the manifestation of
divine power, on her behalf, against her enemies. Thus, at the fall
of the mystic Babylon, it is said, '' Rejoice over her, thou heaven,
and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hatW avenged you on
her." Rev. xviii. 20.
12. Walk about Zion, and go round aboiit her ; tell the towers thereof
13. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to
the generations following.
Christians are here enjoined to contemplate, again and again, con-
tinually, the fabric of the spiritual Jerusalem, wonderfully raised,
and as wonderfully preserved ; to consider attentively the parts de-
signed for use, for strength, for ornament ; that they may be able to
instruct posterity in the nature and history of this holy building, and
in their duty of forwarding and defending the same, from generation
to generation.
14. For this God is our God for ever and ever : he will be our guide even
unto death.
Let the world worship whom or what it will, we worship none
* " ' Sicut audivimus.' — Prophetia Isaiee videtur hie notari ; sensusque est ; sicut
audivimus ab Isaia prophetatum, fore ut obsidio mirabiliter solveretur, ac Sennachcrabi
dux Rabsaces, ejusque exercitus csederetur, sic impletum vidimus. Isa. xxxvii. 21. 2
Reg. xix. 20. QuS, figura. coelestis Jerusalem incolae et ipsi canunt, * sicut audivimus,'
ex auditu fidei, Gal. iii. 25. ' sic vidimus,' jam sublato velo, atque aperta, De^ facie.
• Deus fundavit earn :' nihil habet metuendum, tanto exempta periculo. Prophetic^
de Ecclesia, fundatSi super petram, ideoque inconcussa.. Matt. xvi. 18." — Bossuet.
182 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Other but Him who, by his Spirit, founded, and by his power, pre-
serveth the church ; who, by that Spirit, "guideth " us through life,
and, by that power, will enable us to overcome " death ;"* that so
we may rejoice and triumph for evermore, as citizens of the city of
God, and subjects of the King of glory.
PSALM XLIX.
ARGUMENT. — The prophet, after a solemn introduction, 1 — 4. in which the whole
world is called upon to hear a lesson of divine wisdom, 5. proposes the subject in a
question, implying the great folly of yielding to the temptation of fear, in the time
of affliction and persecution, when the rich and the powerful are in arms against the
innocent and righteous sufferer ; inasmuch as, 5 — 9. no man, by his riches or power,
can redeem his brother, or himself, in the evil day ; but, 10. wise and foolish die,
and leave their estates to others ; and, 11 — 13. notwithstanding all their care and
pains, are soon forgotten, while they are detained by death in the grave, till they
rise to judgment and condemnation. On the other hand, the prophet, in the person
of Messiah, 15. declares his faith in a joyful resurrection to life and glory, through
the power of Jehovah ; and, 16 — 20. exhorts believers, neither to fear nor envy the
man of the world, considering what his latter end is to be.
1. Hear this, all ye people : give ear, all ye hihahitants of the world ;
2. Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
This Psalm opens with great dignity, and the prophet speaks " as
one having authority." He demands an audience, like that which
is to be assembled at the last day ; having something to deliver,
which is universally important and interesting ; something which
concerns every age, and condition, and nation, under heaven. And
we may observe, fliat although the sound of this Psalm, when first
uttered, could be heard only within the confines of Judea, yet the
knowledge of it hath since actually been diffused in the Christian
church, throughout the world, from the rising to the setting sun.
But how few, alas ! have duly attended to the salutary lesson, which
it so divinely teacheth.
3. My maiith shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall
be of understanding.
At the call of folly, what multitudes are always ready to assemble !
But wisdom, eternal and essential wisdom, crieth without ; she lifteth
up her voice in the streets; and who is at liesure to attend her
heavenly lectures ? The " mouth " of Jesus always " spake of wis-
dom ?" but few regarded him : the " meditation of his heart " was
ever " of understanding ;" but it was accounted madness.
4. / will incline mine ear to a parable : I will open my dark saying upon
the harp.
In the promulgation of wisdom and understanding to the world,
the prophet, as the faithful scribe of the Spirit, was to speak only
* " This God will be our God to all eternity, and (by that power which he has al-
ready exerted in our protection) will conduct us through life with safety." — Merrick.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 183
what he should hear, by "incUning his ear" to his divine teacher ;
he was to speak in the way of " parable," or proverb, or problem,
that is, in such a way as should require study and diligence to un-
fold and explain ; in such a way as the worJd is not inclined to un-
derstand, or listen to; as our Lord deUvered his doctrines when on
earth. And, that melody might serve as a vehicle for instruction,
this important lesson was to be set to music, and played upon the
harp.
5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heel
shall compass me about.
" The iniquity of my heels," says Bishop Lowth, " is hardly
sense. Suppose i^p3? to be, not a noun, but the piesent participle of
the verb, it will then be " The wickedness of those that lie in wait
for me," or, " endeavour to supplant me." Bishop Hare likewise,
as Mr. Merrick has observed, translates "^^p^? " insidiantium mihi."
I had, at first, given another turn to the Psalmist's question, and by
" the iniquity of my heels," had understood to be meant, the " ini-
quity of my footsteps, that is, " my goings," or " ways ;" ("^np^? be-
ing used for footsteps, Ps. Ivi. 7, and Cant. i. 8 ;) as if it had been
said, Why, for the sake of procuring riches or power, should I bring
fear and anguish upon myself, in that hour when my sins will find
me out, and neither riches nor power can dehver me from the punish-
ment due to them l Thus Bossuet and Mudge understood the
verse. But I am clear that Bishop Lowth's idea is the true one ;
and then the purport of the question is plainly this — Why should I
give way to fear and despondency^ in the time of calamity, when
the wickedness of my wealthy and powerful adversaries compasseth
me about, to supplant and overthrow me ? .
6. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the nmltitude of
their riches ; 7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother^ nor give
to God a ransom for him: 8. {For the redemption of their soul is precious^
and it ceasethfor ever;) 9. That he should still live for ever, and not see cor-
ruption.
In this world, as the wise man observeth, Eccles. x. 19. " money
answereth all things ;" and therefore worldly men place their trust
and confidence in it : but, in " the evil day," riches shall not be
found ; nor, if they could be found, would they avail any thing to-
wards eternal salvation. For, " what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?" saith one, who best knew the value of souls; as he
paid the price of that " precious redemption," which otherwise must
have " ceased for ever ;" w4ien he suffered for us on the cross, and
arose on the third day, to hfe and immortahty, without " seeing cor-
ruption."*
* " Hos versus ad Christum patres referunt, ut sensus sit, nemo purus homo fratrera
redimit, sed tantum ille homo qui etiam Deus est. Memorant etiam imerpretes R.
Mosen Hazarden, qui verba hsec de Rege Messia. intelligit, qui pro redemptione fratrum
mortuus, postea in seternum vivat, uti prsedictum est ab Isaia liii. 13." — Bossuet.
184 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. Far he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish per-*
son perish, and leave their wealth to others.
The inability of man to save his brother or himself from death is
evinced by daily experience, which showeth us, that the penalty due
to sin is continually levied upon all : wisdom and folly go down into
the dust together ; "and then, whose shall those things be, which
have been provided?" Luke xii. 20. Their possessions come into
the hands of others, perhaps of those for whom they never intended'
them, and who have neither inclination nor ability to do the dead
man any service.
11. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and
their dwelling-places to all generations ; they call their lands after their owm
names.
Various are the contrivances of vain men to have their names
written on earth, and to procure, after their deaths, an imaginary
immortality, for themselves and their families, in the memory and
conversation of posterity ; which is not often obtained ; and, if ob-
tained, is of no value ; when with less trouble, they might have had
their names written in heaven, and have secured to themselves a
blessed immortality, in the glorious kingdom of their Redeemer.
12. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not ; he is like the beasts that
perish.
The continuance of man in the world is as that of a traveller at
an inn, who tarrieth but for a night ; so that if honour and wealth
do not soon leave him, he must soon leave them, and, like the brutes
around him, return to his earth, never more to be seen, and Httle
more to be thought of* Families decay, and are extinguished, as
well as individuals ; and the world itself is to perish after the same
example. That such beings, in such a place, should think of be-
coming glorious and immortal !
13. This their way is their folly ; yet their posterity approve their sayings.
The practice of labouring to acquire wealth and greatness, which can
be of no service after death, and of endeavouring to perpetuate the pos-
session of the most uncertain things in nature, is doubtless a folly ;
but it is a folly which, like many others, is at once blamed and imitated. .
14. Like sheep that, or, they, are laid in the grave ; death shall feed on
them : and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning : and
their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
The high and mighty ones of the earth, who cause people to
fear and nations to tremble around them, must one day crowd the
grave; in multitude and impotence, though not in innocence, re-
sembling sheep, driven and confined by the butcher, in his house of
slaughter. There death, that ravening wolf, shall feed sweetly on
them, and devour his long-expected prey, in silence and darkness,
* " * Comparatus est jumentis ;' quoad temporalia, nihil habet amplius, atque orani-
no instar jumenti est, nisi seterna meditatur." — Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 185
tintil the glorious morning of the resurrection dawn ; when the once
oppresssd and afflicted righteous, risen from the dead, and sitting,
with their Lord, in judgment, shall have the dominion over their
cruel and insulting enemies ; whose faded beauty, withered strength,
and departed glory, shall display to men and angels the vanity of
that confidence which is not placed in God.
15. But God will redeem my soul, or, animal frame^ from the power of the
grave ; for he shall receive me.
The righteous as well as the wicked, descend into the grave : to
the bodies of the former it is a resting-place, as the prison was to Sl
Peter, till the angel of the Lord shall awaken them, and call them
forth ; while to the latter it is a condemned hold, from which, at the
appointed day, they were to be dragged to execution.* The prophet
here expresseth a full and firm faith in the resurrection ; and may
be conceived as speaking in the person of Him who was first re-
deemed from the grave, and accepted by the Father : who did not
" despond in the days of evil, and when the wickedness of his sup-
planters compassed him about ;" as foreseeing their speedy destruc-
tion, and his own approaching resurrection and exaltation. And
therefore, he thus exhorts each disciple of his in the subsequent
verses of our Psalm : —
16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich : when the glory of his house
is increased. 17. For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away ; his glory
shall not descend after him.
This is the conclusion of the Psalm, naturally following from the
premises ; and addressed by way of exhortation and comfort, to the
meek and humble disciples of the Lamb ; directing them to fear
God, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, and not to be
afraid of the short-lived power, conferred in this world, by wealth,
over the body only. For this purpose nothing is requisite, but to strip
the worldling of the pomp and parade, the connexions and relations
of life, and to consider him as he is to appear on the day of his
burial, w4ien nothing shall attend him, but his shroud, to the grave,
and his works to the judgment-seat. Yiew him in this light, which
is the proper light to view him in, and he will cease to be the object
of fear or envy.
18. Though, ivhile he lived, lie blessed his soul ; (and men will praise thee
when thou doest well to thyself)
Such must be the worldling's end, as described above ; hoAvever in
the day of health and prosperity he may bless himself and say,
" Soul, thou hast goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat,
drink, and be merry." Nor will such a speech, whenever it is spoken,
want its admirers : it will have the applause of numbers, whose opin-
ion it is, that " there is nothing better for a man, than that he
* " Impiorum inanitate despecta., assur^it ad bonos in Deum sperantes, qnornm Deus
animam ab inferis redimit, cum a sepulchro assumptos ad vitam seternam transfert^
Alioqui, neqne qui sperat in Domino plus rcliquis haberet, neque preefationi responderet
hujus Psalmi doctrina." — Bossuet.
24
186 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
should eat and drink, and enjoy himself all the days of his life,
which God giveth him under the sun."
19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers ; they shall never see light.
They who follow their fathers in sin, must follow them likewise
into the torments of that sad place where darkness has fixed its ever-
lasting abode, for the reception of those that ever loved and embraced
it ; and where the light of life and salvation no longer visits those
who always hated and rejected it.
20. Man, that is in honour and understandeth not, is like the beasts that
perish.
The sum of the whole matter is, that it can profit a man nothing
to gain the whole world ; to become possessed of all its wealth, and
all its power ; if, after all, he lose his own soul, and be cast away,
for w^nt of that holy and heavenly wisdom which distinguishes him
from the brutes, and sets him above them, in his life, and at his
death.
TENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM L.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm presents us with a magnificent description, 1, 2. of the
promulgation of the gospel, followed, 3, 4. by a prediction of the terrible manner of
God's coming to judge his apostate people, Israel ;* 5, 6. of the assembly to be pre-
sent, and his appeal to men and angels ; 7 — 13. the rejection of the legal, and 14,
15. the establishment of the Christian worship and services ; 16 — 20. the impenitent
Jews are arraigned, and 21. threatened ; and, 22. exhorted to consider, to repent ;
and, 23. to embrace the evangelical, or spiritual religion. It is to be observed, that
in this Psalm, as in our Lord's discourse on the same subject, the particular judgment
of Jerusalem is a figure and specimen of the last general judgment. Hypocritical
and wicked Christians are, therefore, to apply to themselves what is primarily ad-
dressed to their elder brethren, the unbelieving and rebellious sons of faithful and
obedient Abraham.
* Such is the general idea entertained of this Psalm, by the best Christian exposi-
tors, cited in Poole's Synopsis, where we are likewise informed, that the Jewish rab-
bies affirm the subject of it to be, " that judgment which will be executed in the days
of Messiah" — ignorant, alas ! that they themselves, and their people, are now become
the unhappy objects of that judgment. — " Psalmi quinquagesimi argumentum est ex
genere didactico ad moralem theologiam pertinens, grave imprimis et fructuosum : Deo
nimirum non placere sacrificia etexternos ritus religionis, sed sinceram potiuspietatem,
laudesque ex grato animo profluentes ; neque vero has ipsas pietatis significationes, sine
justitia caeterisque virtutibus. Ita duas habet partes ; primo arguitur cultor pius qui-
dem, sed ignariis et superstitioni obnoxius ; deinde improbus pietatis simulator. Si
totum hujusce odae apparatum et quasi scenam contemplamur, nihil facile potest esse
magnificentius. Deus universum genus humanum solenni edicto convocat, ut de po-
pulo suo judicium publice exerceat ; ponitur in Sione augustum tribunal : depingitur
Dei advenientis majestas imaginibus a descensu in montem Sinam petitis : coelum et
terra invocantur divinae justitiae testes : tum demum inducitur Dei ipsius sententiam
dicentis augustissima persona, per reliquam oden continnata ; unde cum cceteris ejus
partibus admirabilis ille exordii majestas et splendor communicatur." Lowth, Prfielect.
xxvii. ad init.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 187
1. Tlie mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from
the rising- of the sun unto the going down thereof
"God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in these last days,
spoken unto us by his Son." Heb. i. 1. The everlasting gospel
hath made its glorious progress from the eastern to the western
world ; and the nations have been thereby called to repentance.
2. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
The law which was given by Moses, proceeded from Sinai, the f i^i^
mount of fear and horror ; but the word of grace and truth, which ^^9^0(4
came by Jesus Christ, issued forth from Sion, the chosen mountain
of beauty and excellency, in Jerusalem. There that glory first arose 2 . /t^
and shone, which, Uke the light of heaven, soon diffused itself abroad
over the face of the whole earth.
3. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour be- 1/
fore him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
The prophet, having described the first advent of Christ, and the
promulgation of the gospel, now foretelleth his coming to take ven •
geance on the hypocritical Jews, as also, his advent to judge the
world prefigured thereby. Upon both those occasions, his coming
was to be with sounds and sights of terror, with all the marks and
tokens of wrath and fiery indignation, like those displayed on Si-
nai.
4. He shall call to the heavefis from above, and to the earth, that he may
judge his people.
Heaven and earth, men and angels, were to be witnesses of the
righteous judgments of God, executed upon his apostate people ; as
all the celestial armies, and all the generations of the sons of Adam,
are to be present at the general judgment of the last day.
5. Gather my saints together unto me ; those that have made a covenant
with me by sacrifice.
These are the words of God, summoning mankind to attend the
trial, " caUing to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he
may judge his people." Thus it is said of the Son of man. Matt,
xxiv, 31. "He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trum-
pet, and they shall gather together his elect, from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
6. And the Jieavens shall declare his righteousness ; for God is judge him-
self
Th' applauding heav'ns the changeless doom,
While God the balance shall assume,
In full memorial shall record,
And own the justice of their Lord. — Merrick.
7. Hear, O my people, and I will speak ; O Israel, and 1 will testify against
i?iee : I am God, even thy God.
This is the voice of the omniscient Judge, impleading his ancient
people, who are commanded to attend to the words of him, their
5. ft
188 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
God ana covenanted Saviour, thus constrained to clear his justice
before the world, and to show that they had destroyed themselves.
Nominal and wicked Christians will be addressed in the same man-
ner at the last day.
8. / will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings, to have
been, or, they were contiimally before me.
This judicial process was not commenced against Israel for their
having neglected to offer the sacrifices of the law ; their oblations
were on the altar, morning and evening continually, insomuch that
God, by the prophet Isaiah, declares himself " weary of them," as
not having been accompanied with faith and holiness in the offerer.
Many pharisaical Christians will be condemned for the same reason,
notwithstanding their strict and scrupulous attendance upon the or-
dinances of the new law, if it shall appear that they left religion in
the church behind them, instead of carrying it with them into their
lives and conversations.
9. / iDill take no bullock out of thine house, nor he-goat out of thy folds.
10. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are
mine. 12. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee : for the world is mine, and
the fulness thereof
The Jewish folly of doting on the legal offerings, as things in
themselves acceptable to God, and conferring justification on man,
is reproved in these verses, from the consideration, that the various
animals slain in sacrifice, were long before, even from the creation
of the world, the sole right and property of Jehovah ; w^hich, there-
fore, he needed not to have required at the hands of his people ; nor
would he have done so, but for some further end and intent, signi-
fied and represented by such oblations. What that end and intent
was. Christians know; and Jews formerly did know. Learn we
hence, not to dream of any merit in our works and services ; since
God hath a double claim, founded on creation and redemption, to
all we have, and all we are.
13. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Another argument of the Jews' blindness is, the gross absurdity
of imagining, that a spiritual and holy being could possibly be satis-
fied and pleased with the taste and smell of burnt-offerings, (which
God often declareth himself to have been,) any otherwise than as
they were symbolical of some other sacrifice, spiritual and holy, and
therefore really propitiatory and acceptable in his sight. That man
judaizeth, who thinketh to please God by an external, without an
internal service ; or by any service, without Christ.
14. Offer unto God thanksgiving ; and pay thy vows unto the Most High :
15. And call upon me in the day of trouble : I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me.
The carnal and bloody sacrifices of the law being abolished by
the coming of Messiah, the spiritual and unbloody oblations of the
^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 189
gospel succeed in their stead. These are, the eucharistic sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiving for the mercies of redemption ; that hearty
repentance, that faith unfeigned*, and that obedience evangehcal,
promised and vowed in baptism : that perfect trust in God, and re-
signation to his will, which our Lord expressed in his prayer, during
his sufferings, and which we ought to express in our prayers, when
called to suffer with him, if we desire to glorify God for our deliver-
ance through him, in the day of visitation. These are the services
enjoined to such Jews as would become Christians, and to such
Christians as would be Christians in deed and in truth.
16. But unto the wicked God saith, JfTiat hast thou to do to declare my
statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth : 17. Seeing
thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee 7
From hence, to the end of the Psalm, we have an expostulation
of God with the unbelieving Jew, who boasted his relation to Abra-
ham, without a spark of Abraham's faith in his heart ; and gloried
in a law, which condemned him as a breaker of its precepts in every
instance. St. Paul's expostulation with the same person, Rom. ii.
17, (fcc. is so exact a parallel to this before us, that one will be the
best comment upon the other : " Behold, thou art called a Jew, and
restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his
will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instruc-
ted out of the law ; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide
of the blind, a light of them which are in darl?:ness, an instructor of
the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge,
and of the truth in the law. Thou, therefore, that makest thy boast
of the law, through breaking the law, dishonourest thou God?"
Every minister of God should try and examine himself by these
passages in our Psalm and St. Paul, on the former of which the fa-
mous Origen is once said to have preached, making application to
his own case, not without many tears. And, indeed, " if thou, O
Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who," among us all, " shall stand ?
But there is forgiveness with thee." Ps. cxxx. 3, 4.
18. When thou sawest a thief, then thou conseniedst with him, and hast been
partaker with adulterers.
St. Paul proceeds in the very same manner : — " Thou that teach-
est another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man
should not steal, dost thou steal ? Thou that sayest a man should
not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that ab-
horrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?" All Christians, the
clergy especially, should beware not only of committing evil them-
selves, but of " consenting " to, or "partaking "of, the evil committed
by others.
19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. 20. Tlimt
sittest and speakest against thy brother : thou slanaerest thine own mother^s
son.
Had St. Paul thought proper to have gone on to this instance, he
might have said, Thou that teachest a man should not bear false
190 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
witness, dost thou bear false witness? For certainly never men
brake that commandment in a more flagrant manner than the Jews :
never men " gave " their " mouth " more " to evil," or " framed "
more " deceit," than they, when they " sat and spake against their
brethren," and " slandered their own mother's children," for believ-
ing in Jesus Christ. Let us look at this picture of slander, and we
shall never fall in love with so detestable a vice.
21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that
I was altogether such an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee^ and set them
in order before thine eyes.
The forbearance of God only tempted the Jews still to think him
on their side, till at length he made the Roman armies his instru-
ments of conviction ; who, by crucifying multitudes of their country-
men in sight of the besieged, did in a wonderful manner " reprove
them, and set before them the things which they had done." The
day of judgment will do this to all sinners, if temporal chastisements
effect it not, before that day shall come.
22. Now consider this, ye that forget Godj lest I tear you in pieces, and
there be none to deliver.
The stupendous desolation of Jerusalem, for rejecting so kind an
admonition of her Saviour, and suffering him to weep over her in
vain, should, in a most powerful manner, enforce that admonition
on the inhabitants of Christendom, to prevent its falling, after the
same example of unbelief
23. Wh-oso offereth we praise, glorifeth me ; and to him thai ordereth his
conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God.
This verse resumes and repeats the conclusion intended by the
whole Psalm, concerning the Jewish and the Christian worship ;
and St. Paul, in the place above cited, affords us a complete com-
ment upon it: " He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly ; nor is
that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God."
PSALM LL
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, composed upon a sad occasion, but too well known,
we have a perfect model of penitential devotion. The royal supplicant robed in sack-
cloth, and crowned with ashes, entreats for mercy, 1, 2. from a consideration of
his own misery, and of the divine goodness ; 3. from that of his confession ; 4. of
God's sole right to judge him ; 5. laments the corruption of his nature ; but, 6. with-
out pleading it as an excuse ; 7. prays for Gospel remission in legal terms ; 8. for
spiritual joy and comfort ; 9, 10. for pardoning and cleansing grace ; 11, 12. for
strength and perseverance, that he may, 13. instruct and convert others; 14, 15.
deprecates the vengeance due to blood ; 16, 17. beseeches God to accept an evan-
gelical sacrifice ; and 18, 19. concludes with a prayer for the church.
1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness ; ac-
cording unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my trangressions.
The penitent's first ground for hope of pardon is his own misery,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Ml
and the divine mercy, which rejoiceth to relieve that misery. The
riches, the power, and the glory of a kingdom, can neither prevent
nor remove the torment of sin, Vi'hich puts the monarch and the beg-
gar upon a level. Every transgression leaves behind it a guilt
and a stain ; the account between God and the sinner is crossed by
the blood of the great propitiatory sacrifice, which removes the former ;
and the soul is cleansed by the Holy Spirit, which takes out the
latter.
2. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
The soul that is sensible of her pollution, fears she can never be
sufficiently purified from it ; and therefore prays, yet again and
again, continually, for more abundant grace, to make and to keep
her holy.
3. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
The penitent's second plea for mercy is, that he doth not deny,
excuse, or palliate his fault, but confesses it openly and honestly,
with all its aggravations, truly alleging, that it haunts him night
and day, causing his conscience incessantly to reproach him with
his base ingratitude to a good and gracious Father.
4. Against, or, to, th:ce, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight;
that thou mightest, or, therefore thou iviU, be justified when thou speakest, and
be clear when thou judgest.
A third reason why the penitent sues for mercy at the hand of
God is, because God alone certainly knows, and is always able to
punish the sins of men. David sinned "against" many; as
against Uriah, whom he slew ; against Bathsheba, whom he cor-
rupted ; and against all the people, to whom he became the cause
of much offence and scandal. But the sin was committed in secret ;
and if it had not been so, he, as king, had no superior, or judge, in
this matter, but God only ; who, being able to convict the offender
as he did, by the prophet Nathan, would assuredly be justified in the
sentence he should pronounce. And he will appear to be so in his
determinations at the last day, when he will surprise the wretched
unthinking sinner, with a declaration similar to that which he made
by his prophet to the royal offender, 2 Sam. xii. 12 : " Thou didst
it secretly ; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the
sun."
6. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.
The divine mercy is implored by the penitent, fourthly, because
that alone can dry up the fountain of original corruption, from which
the streams of actual trangression derive themselves; and which is
here only lamented as their cause, not alleged as their excuse ; see-
ing, that the greater our danger is of faUing, the greater should be
our care to stand. David was the offspring of the marriage bed,
which is declared to be "honourable and undefiled." No more,
therefore, can be intended here, than that a creature begotten by a
sinner, and formed in the womb of a sinner, cannot be without that
192 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
taint which is hereditary to every son and daughter of Adam and
Eve.*
6. Behold^ thou desirest truth in the inward parts, Heb. the reins : and in
the hidden part thou shalt make, or, hast made me to know wisdom.
The force of " Behold," is — "It is too plain ; I feel it but too sensi-
bly ; the punishment I suffer is evidence sufficient, that thou art not
contented with a superficial appearance of goodness ; thou lovest
truth and sincerity in the bottom of the heart." This God was now
teaching him, by the correction he made him suffer. The punish-
ment inflicted tended to give him a right understanding of things,
and to work it deep into him. — Mudge.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall he clean : wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow.
He therefore petitioneth, in this verse, for the purification which
Cometh from God only, through the one great propitiatory sacrifice,
by the Holy Spirit ; and which was foreshown, under the law, by
the ceremony of sprinkling the unclean person with a bunch of
^' hyssop," dipped in the " water of separation." This rite is de-
scribed. Numb. xix. and explained, Heb. ix. 13, 14: "If the blood
of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the un-
clean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how mucli more shall
the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered him-
self without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the hving God !" From the latter part of the verse we learn,
that, by grace and mercy, the pardoned penitent is arrayed in gar-
ments no less pure and splendid than those of innocence itself
8. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that tlie bones which thou hast broken
may rejoice.
Next to the blessing of forgiveness is to be desired that joy and
comfort in the conscience which forgiveness only can inspire : the
effect of this, in repairing the vigour of the spirit, decayed through
sorrow and anguish, is compared to setting broken bones, and re-
storing them again to perfect strength. At the resurrection of the
body, this petition will be granted in a hteral sense, when the " bones,"
that are mouldered into dust, shall " rejoice, and flourish as an herb."
Isai. Ixvi. 14.
9. Hide thy face from my sins ; and blot out all mine iniquities.
The soul, still restless and uneasy, reiterates her request, that God
would not only cease to behold her iniquity for the present, as a man
who turneth away his face from a writing, but that he would not
behold it more, as a man who blotteth out what is written, so that it
can never be read again.
* And so much must surely be intended, as the learned Bossuet observeth : — Num-
quid David de adulterio natus erat ? De Jesse viro justo natus erat, et conjuge ipsius
Quid er>yo se dicit iniquitate conceptum, nisi quia susceptit personam humaiii generis,
et attendit omnium vincuia, propaginem mortis, originem iniquitatis advertit ?
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right, or, constant^
spirit within me.
The purification and renovation of the heart and spirit of a man
is a work to which that power only is equal which, in the beginning,
created all things, and, in the end, will create all things new. " A
right spirit is renewed within us," when the affections turn from the
world to God, and charity takes the place of concupiscence.
11. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit
from Trie.
The soul that is truly penitent, dreads nothing but the thought of
being rejected from the " presence," and deserted by the "Spirit" of
God. This is the most deplorable and irremediable effect of sin :
but it is one that in general, perhaps, is the least considered and re-
garded of all others.
12. Restore unto ms the joy of thy salvation ; and uphold with thy free, or,
princely, or, liberal Spirit.
David prayeth to God to restore to him the unspeakable joy of
that salvation, which as a prophet, he had so often contemplated,
and celebrated in his divine compositions ; he prayeth also to be pre-
served and continued in that state of salvation, by the Spirit of God,
which might enable him to act as became a prophet and a king,
free from base desires and enslaving lusts.
13. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be con-
verted unto thee.
He that would employ his abihties, his influence, and his author-
ity, in the reformation of others, must take care to reform himself,
before he enters upon the work. " When thou art converted," said
Christ to St. Peter, " strengthen thy brethren :" Luke xxii. 32. The
history of David has " taught" us many useful lessons ; such as the
frailty of man, the danger of temptation, the torment of sin, the na-
ture and efficacy of repentance, the mercy and the judgments of
God; (fee. (fee. by which many " sinners" have in all ages since been
" converted," and many more will be converted, so long as the Scrip-
tures shall be read, and the 51st Psalm recited in the church.
14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation :
and my tmigue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
The unhappy criminal entreats, in this verse, for the divine help
and deliverance, as if he not only heard the voice of innocent blood
crying from the ground, but as if he saw the murdered Uriah coming
upon him for vengeance, Uke an armed man. If he can but obtain
the pardon of this sin, he promises to publish to all the world the
righteousness of God, who justifieth sinners, and showeth mercy to
the penitent ; though he must at the same time, publish likewise his
own heinous and horrid wickedness.
15. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
The mouth which sin hath closed, can only be opened by pardon :
25
194 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and to show this, he who came, conferring pardon, caused the tongue-
of the dumb to speak, and to sing praises to the Lord God of IsraeL
Our church, with great propriety, daily maketh her prayer in the
words of this verse, before she entereth upon that part of her service,
which consists of praise and thanksgiving.
16. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it; thou delightest not
in burnt offerings. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a broken
and a coniiiie hearty O God, thou wilt not despise.
David in this Psalm, is so evangelical, and has his thoughts so
fixed upon gospel remission, that he considers the Levitical sacrifices
as already abolished, for their insufficiency to take away sin ; affirm-
ing them to be (as indeed they were) nothing, in the sight of God, if
compared with the sacrifice of the body of sin, offered by contrition
and mortification, through faith in Him who, in the fulness of time,
was to die unto sin once, that we, together with him, might for ever
live unto God.
18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion : build thou the walls of Jentr-
salem.
The king forgets not to ask mercy for his people, as well as for
himself; that so neither his own nor their sins might prevent either
the building and flourishing of the earthly Jerusalem, or, what was
of infinitely greater importance, the promised blessing of Messiah,,
who was to descend from him, and to rear the walls of the new
Jerusalem. And thus it ought to be the fervent prayer of every man,
especially if he be placed in any exalted station, ecclesiastical or civil,,
that no sins by him committed, may any way prejudice others, or
obstruct the edification of the church.
19. Then shall thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with
burnt offering, and whole burnt offering; then shall they offer bullocks upon
thine altar.
This had its literal accomplishment when Jerusalem was finished ;
when the temple was erected on Mount Sion ; and when the Lord'
graciously vouchsafed to accept the sacrifices there offered on his
holy altars, by King Solomon, at the head of his faithful and devout
people. It is spiritually true in the Christian church, where the sub-
stance of all the Mosaic types and shadows is offered and presented
to the Father, by the Prince of Peace, at the head of the Israel of
God. And it will be eternally verified in the kingdom of heaven,
where the sacrifices of righteousness and love, of praise and thanks-
giving, will never cease to be offered to him that sitteth on the throne,
by the church triumphant in glory.
PSALM LII.
ARGUMENT. — In the person of Doeg the Edomite, who was the persecutor of
David, and the murderer of the priests, are described, 1 — 4. the enemies of the truths
and the church in all ages : whose utter destruction from the presence of the Lord iff
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 195
foretold, 5. with the exultation of the righteous over them, 6, 7 ; these last rejoice,
8. in the flourishing state under grace, 9. in hope of future glory, through faith and
patience.
1. TVhy hoastest thou thyself in mischief O mighty man 7 The goodness of
God eniiuretli continually.
" The PsalmisUhought it strange," says the pious and ingenious
Norris, " that any man should value himself for being able to do
mischief, when God esteemed it his glory to do good." In vain did
Doeg the Edomite boast himself in the mischief he had done, by
massacring the innocent priests and their families ; since "the good-
ness of God," which is " unchangeable," had decreed the preservation
of David. As vainly did Herod, the Idumean, or Edomite, glory in
the slaughter of the Bethlehemitish infants, since heaven had deter-
mined that the child Jesus should not be one of the number. A per-
secution may produce martyrs ; but the gates of hell are never to
prevail against the church.
2. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
The mischief done to religion by men of Doeg's turn, is done by
the tongue, before it is done by the hand ; it is planned leisurely,
and executed speedily and deceitfully.*
3. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righ-
teousness. 4. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
As the Christian spirit dehghteth itself in goodness, truth, and
charity, so the antichristian spirit is here characterized by its offend-
ing, not out of ignorance or inadvertence, but mere love of wicked-
ness, falsehood, and malice. To this pitch many have arrived ; and
who, that enters upon a course of sin, can say, that he shall stop
short of it ?
5. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever ; he shall take thee away^ and
pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.
Wonderful is the force of the verbs in the original, which convey
to us the four ideas of " laying prostrate, dissolving as by fire, sweep-
ing away as with a besom, and totally extirpating root and branch,"
as a tree is eradicated from the spot on which it grew. If a further
comment be wanted, it may be found in the history of David's ene-
mies, and the crucifiers of the Son of David : but the passage will
be fully and finally explained by the destruction of the world of the
ungodly at the last day.
6. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
7. Lo, tliis is the man that made not God his strength ; hut trusted in the
abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
Such shall be the triumph of Messiah, and of all his faithful ser-
vants with him, over the enemies of man's salvation, at that hour
* " Sicut novacula acuta" — quae cum tangere leniter et tantum radere videretur, altft
infigitur, ac velut blandiendi specie vulnerat : ita Doeg cum Achimelech in tabernaculo
Domini amicitias pietatisque specie versatus, foedo indicio viros optimos prodigit. 1 Reg.
atxi. 7. xxii. 9. — Bossuet. So Mudge — " Working treacherously," that is, Thy tongue
18 like a sharp razor, that cuts one's throat before one is aware of it.
196 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
when, the world being in flames, the confidence that hath been
placed in it must perish for evermore.
8. But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God : I will trust in the
mercy of God for ever and ever.
The representative of Messiah portrays himself as the reverse of
Doeg and the wicked, in terms applicable likewis^to his great origi-
nal. He was in the house of God, they were in the world ; he was
as a fruitful olive-tree, they were as barren, unprofitable wood ; he
was to be daily more and more strengthened, established, settled,
and increased ; they were to be cast down, broken, swept away, and
extirpated ; and all this because he had trusted in the mercy of God,
they in the abundance of their riches. We Gentiles were branches
of the " wild olive," but are now grafted into the good one : Lord,
make us to flourish and bear fruit, in thy immortal " courts," world
without end !
9. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it ; and I will wait on
thy name, for it is good* before thy saints.
Faith foresees salvation, and anticipates the day of victory and
triumph ; in the meantime, while she waiteth patiently for its com-
ing, she refresheth and comforteth herself with frequent meditation
on the virtue and power of that saving " name," which is as " oint-
ment poured forth ;" by the fragrance of its odours inviting and al-
luring inimmerable converts to run after their beloved Redeemer, in
the way of his commandments.
TENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LIIL
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is in a manner the same with Psalm fourteen, except
that there is some difference in ver. 5. for which, as well as for the explanation of the
whole, the reader is referred to the comment on Psalm fourteen.
PSALM LIT.
ARGUMENT. — David, as it has been supposed, when betrayed by the Ziphite^, and
surrounded by Saul, 1, 2, committeth his cause, and preferreth his prayer to God ;
3. complaineth of his cruel treatment; 4, 5. expresseth his assurance of the divine fa-
vour, and the destruction of his enemies. 6, 7. Being delivered from his danger, he
blesseth and praiseth God. See the history, 1 Sam. xxii. The application to Christ,
and to Christians, is plain and easy ; for which reason, our church hath appointed
this Psalm to be read on Good Friday.
1. Sa,ve me, O God, by thy name, and judge me, by thy strength. 2. Hear
my prayer, O God ; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Happy the man, to whom, in the day of trouble, the " name of
* It is a " goodly thing," it carries a good appearance, it looks well before the friencb
of God, to see me praising him, and putting my trust in him. — Mudge.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. IQT
the Lord is a strong tower," into which " he runneth, and is safe."
Prov. xviii. 10. Happy the man that can, with an holy confidence,
commit his cause to the judgment and determination of God, and
expect redress from the Almighty. His prayer mounteth up to
heaven, and returneth not without a blessing.
3. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my
soul: they have not set God before them.
The Ziphites, though David's countrymen, acted the part of
"strangers," or " aliens," in seeking to deliver him up to his unjust
and cruel enemy. Such a part did the whole Jewish nation act to-
wards their anointed Prince and Saviour, when they actually deli-
vered him over to the Roman power. And the church frequently
meeteth Avith such treatment at the Iiands of her children, as she
had reason to expect only from "strangers to the covenant of pro-
mise." Something like this always happens, when men, instead of
setting God, set the world before their eyes.
4. Behold, God is mine helper ; the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
5. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies : cut them, off, or, thou shalt cut
them off, in thy truth.
In all dangers and difficulties, whether temporal or spiritual, the
faithful sons and servants of God fix their eyes upon their heavenly
Father, and gracious Master : they have recourse to the divine pro-
mises, the performance of which they know to be certain, and there-
fore can foresee and foretel the destruction of their enemies. Thus
David, and a greater than David, supported themselves in their
troubles ; and the church, with her children must do likewise.
6. / will freely sacrifice unto thee ; I will praise thy nSne, O Lord, for it is
good. 7. For he hath delivered me out of all my trouble : and mine eye hath
seen his desire, Heb. mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies.
Saul, under the direction of the Ziphites, having encompassed
David on every side, was suddenly called off to defend his country
from an invasion of the Philistines ; by which means David escaped
and " beheld his enemies " retreating. 1 Sam. xxiii. 27. For this
event he offers the sacrifice of a heart freed from fear, and praises
the name of his great Deliverer. Christians should follow his ex-
ample : they should consider how great things God hath done for
them, and should never suffer the voice of praise and thanksgiving
to cease in the church of the redeemed. Beautiful and emphatical
will these two concluding verses appear, when conceived as proceed-
ing from the mouth of our Lord, upon his resurrection. And we
hope one day to repeat them, on a like occasion, saying each in his
own person: "I will freely sacrifice unto thee; I will praise thy
name, O Lord, for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all
my trouble, and mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies."
198 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM LY.
ARGUMENT. — David, as it is supposed, when driven out of Jerusalem by the rebel-
lion of Absalom, and in danger of being suddenly cut off, 1 — 8. maketh his prayer
to God, and describeth the sorrowful state of his soul; 9 — 11. entreateth that the
iniquitous counsels of the rebels may be divided and confounded ; 12 — 14. upbraideth
Ahithophel, the Judas of those times, with his foul treason ; 15 — 19. foreteileth the
tragical end of faction, and his own re-establishment through faith in God, not-
withstanding the base treachery of his favourite son and favourite servant.
1. Give ear to rny prayer^ O God ; and hide not thyself from my petition,
2. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, Heb. am de-
fected in my meditation, a7id make a noise, Heb. ain in a violent, tumultuous
agitation, as the waves of the sea.
In the person of David, driven from his throne, and put in fear of
his hfe, by Absalom and Ahithophel, we here behold our blessed Re-
deemer, on the day of his sufferings, praying earnestly, and repeat-
ing his supplications, as in the garden of Gethsemane, at the pros-
pect of that sea of sorrows which was then about to overwhelm his
agonizing soul. In all our afflictions he was afflicted: in all his
afflictions, let us be so.
3. Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the
wicked : for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
O my God, how can we repine and murmur at any oppression
and calumny which we suffer from the world, when we see, not only
the servant David, but thy Son Jesus, thus hated, slandered, and
persecuted, by their own subjects, and their own children ?
4. My heart is soi^ pained within me ; and the terrors of death are fallen
upon me. 5. Fearjulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath
overwhelmed me.
These words describe the state of David's mind, when he w^ent
over the brook Cedron, and up mount Olivet, " weeping as he went,"
and expecting speedily to be cut off: 2 Sam. xv. 23 — 30, they de-
scribe the agony of the Son of David, when he likewise went over
the same brook Cedron, John xviii. 1, at the time of his passion,
when his soul was " sore amazed and very heavy, and exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death :" Mark xiv. 33, 34 : and every man
will too surely find them applicable to himself, if not often before,
yet certainly in the day when the king of terrors shall draw up all
his forces in array against him.
6. And I said. Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then woidd I fly away,
and be at rest. 7. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilder-
ness. 8. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
The calamitous situation of the Israelitish monarch forced from
him a wish, that, like the bird of innocence and peace, he could in a
moment banish himself from the distractions of his rebellious king-
dom, and enjoy, in holy solitude, that repose which his sceptre and
his guards were not able to procure him. There are few crowned
heads, perhaps, which have not more than once found occasion to
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 199
form, if not to utter, a wish of the same nature. Much more must
it have been the wish of that King of Israel, whose crown was Hte-
rally one of thorns ; and it often will be the wish of the devout
Christian, who, sensible of the sins and follies that overspread the
earth, is taught to aspire after his heavenly country, and to delight
in that resemblance of it which the closet best affords.
9. Destroy^ O Lord, and divide their tongues^ for I have seen violence and
strife in the city.
In these words king David beseecheth God to divide, confound,
and bring to nothing, the counsels of an iniquitous and rampant fac-
tion ; for so, in the history, we find him saying, " O Lord, I pray
thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness." 2 Sam. xv.
^1. The royal prayer was heard; the counsel of Ahithophel was
overrfirown by Hushai, and the disappointed traitor became his own
executioner. The treason of Judas, against the son of David, brought
him likewise to the same end. Every one who finds himself
tempted to betray the cause of his prince, or his Saviour, should set
these two examples before his eyes.
10. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; mischief also
-and sorrow are in the midst of it. l\. Wickedness is in the. midst thereof;
deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
The violence and strife, mentioned at the conclusion of the pre-
ceding verse, are here described as going their rounds, hke an armed
watch, upon the walls, to guard rebellion, which had taken up its
residence in the heart of the city, from the attacks of loyalty, right,
and justice, driven with the king beyond Jordan. Thus from the
*same city was righteousness afterwards expelled, in the person of fhe
King of Righteousness, and nothing left but " mischief and sorrow,
wickedness, deceit, and guile," encompassed with a guard " of viol-
ence and strife." Whether the state of the Gentile Christian church,
in the last days, will not too much resemble that of Jerusalem before
its destruction, is a matter of sad and sorrowful consideration.
12. For it was not an enemy that reproached we, then I could, have home
"it ; neither was it he that hated me that did magnijy himself against me, then
I would have hid myself from him. 13. But it was thou, a man mine equal,
my guide, Heb. my disciple, and mine acquaintance. 14. We took sweet
counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
The many aggravating circumstances of AhithophePs treason
>against David, and that of Judas against Christ, are here strongly
marked. The treachery of pretended friends is generally to the
church, as it was to her Lord, the beginning of sorrows. Ingrati-
t^ude, malice, and falsehood, are ingredients that must always meet
in the composition of a traitor.
15. Let death seize upon them, or, death shall remove, or, take them away ;
and let them, or, they shall go down quick into hell : for wickedness is in their
^dwellings, and among them.
In these words is predicted the tragical fate of Ahithophel, and
those who followed Absalom ; of Judas and the Jews ; and of all
200 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
who shall resemble them in wickedness. The sudden destructioai
of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who, for stirring up a rebellion
against Moses and Aaron, " went down alive into the pit," seems
here alluded to, as the grand representation of the manner in which
the bottomless pit shall one day shut her mouth for ever upon all the
impenitent enemies of the true King of Israel, and great High-priest
of our profession.
16. As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
17. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and he
shall hear my voice.
Prayer is the behever's universal medicine for all the disorders of
the soul within, and his invincible shield against every enemy that
can attack him from without. " Morning, evening, and noon," were
three of the hours of prayer in the Jewish church. We find.holy
Daniel obs^ving them in Babylon, notwithstanding the royal de-
cree, which made it death for him so to do. The event fully justified
him, and showed the power of true devotion, whose high prerogative
it still is, to save the righteous from the mouth of the lion. See Dan.
vi. 10, 22. 2 Tim. iv. 17. 1 Pet. v. 8.
IS. He hath delivered, or, shall deliver, my soul in peace from the battle
that was, or, is, against me ; Jor there were, or, are, many with me.
David was delivered in peace, when, after having suppressed the
rebellion, he was brought back in triumph to his capital ; the Son
of David was delivered in peace, when, victorious ov^er the enemies
of man's salvation, he arose from the dead, and returned to the Jeru-
salem above ; the believing soul is delivered in peace, when her sins
are forgiven, and her corruptions mortified ; and the bodies of the
saints shall be delivered in peace, at the resurrection of the just..
The ground of all these deliverances is one and the same — " They
that are with us are more than they that are against us." 2 Kings
vi. 16. " Greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world."
1 John iv. 4.
19. God shall hear, and offiict, or, humble, them, even he thai abideth of old.
Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God; or, because they
will not be converted, and fear God.
He who inhabiteth eternity, remaining unchangeably the same,
from everlasting to everlasting, hath determined to hear the prayers
of his faithful servants, and finally to humble the pride of his unre-
penting adversaries. These are the decrees which he hath thought
fit to promulgate ; and on them we may safely depend.
20. He hath put forth his hands against such as be, or, were, at peace with
him ; he hath broken his covenant.
The prophet goes on to describe the perfidy of traitors, like Ahi-
thophel and Judas. Every wilful and malicious sinner " puts forth
his hand against" the person who is "at peace with him," nay, who
"made his peace" with the Father; and, by so doing, "breaketh
the covenant" into which by baptism he was admitted. O blessed
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 201
Jesus, how often do we betray thee to thine enemies, our own lusts,
and consider it not !
21. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his
heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
Of this complexion are the cant of hypocrites, the charity of bigots
and fanatics, the benevolence of atheists, the professions of the world,
the allurements of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan, when he
thinks proper to appear in the character of an angel of light.
22. Cast thy burden upon tlve Lord, and he shall sustain thee : he shall never
suffer the righteous to be moved.
The conclusion of the whole matter is, that amidst all dangers
and adversities, whensoever they oppress us, we are to put our full
trust and confidence only in his mercy who dehvered David, and
the Son of David, out of all their troubles. He, who once bore the
burden of our sorrows, requested of us, that we would now and ever
permit him to bear the burden of our cares ; that, as he knoweth
what is best for us, he may provide it accordingly. When shall we
trust Christ to govern the world which he hath redeemed ?
23. But thou O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction ;
bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days ; but I will trust in
thee.
O terrible voice of most just judgment, pronounced against rebels
and murderers ! Of the sure and certain execution of the righteous
sentence who can doubt, that considers the fate of Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram ; of Absalom, Ahithophe], and Judas ; and, above all,
of the city which contained within its walls those rebels, and mur-
derers of the Son of God ? Let us trust for ever in him alone who
can thus deliver and thus destroy.
ELEVENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LVL ^
ARGUMENT. — David, in dan^rer from the Philistines, among whom he was driven,
as well as from Saul and his associates, is supposed to, 1, 2. make supplication lo
God, in whom, 3, 4. he placeth all his hope and confidence, 5 — 7. of being saved
from the wiles and stratagems of the adversary ; 8, 9. he comforteth himself with
the consideration that God taketh account of his sufferings, and will apj)ear on his
behalf; 10, 11. he repeateth the declaration of his faith in the divine promises ; and
12, 13. concludeth with paying his tribute of praise and thanksgiving. What David
WJis in Philistia, the disciples of the Son of David are in the world.
1. Be merciful unto me, O God : for man wovld swallow me up ; he fight-
ing daily oppresseth m,e. 2. Mine enemies wovld daily swallow me up, for
they be muny that fght against me, O thou Most High.
The same words are applicable to the situation and circumstances
of David, pursued by his enemies ; of Christ, persecuted by the Jews \
26
202 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
of the church afflicted in the world ; and of the soul, encompassed
by enemies, against whom she is forced to wage perpetual war.
3. What time lam afraid^ I will trust in thee. 4. In God I will praise, or,
glory in, his word, in God I have put my trust ; J will not fear what Jlesh
can do unto me.
Whoever, like the prophet Elisha's servant, beholdeth only the
forces of the enemy, will be apt, like him, to cry out, " Alas, my
master! liow shall we do?" 2 Kings vi. 15. But when our eyes
are "opened," to see those "horses and chariots of fire" which are
*' round about us ;" when we perceive the promises of the word,
and the mighty succours of the Spirit, which are all on our side ; we
no longer fear the terrors or the temptations of flesh and blood ; but
find ourselves enabled to do and to suffer all things, through faith in
him who strengthened us to the battle. " He hath said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee ;" so that we may boldly say, " The
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."
Heb. xiii. 5, 6.
5. Every day they wrest my wards : all their thoughts are against me for
evil. 6. l^hey gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my
steps, they wait for my soul.
These words could not be more literally descriptive of the beha-
viour of David's persecutors, than they certainly are of that conduct
which the Scribes and Pharisees observed towards our blessed Lord ;
when, like serpents by the way-side, they " marked his steps," till a
proper opportunity offered, to dart from their lurking-place, and
" bruise his heel." We think it hard, when men use us in this man-
ner ; but surely we either forget that the Son of God was so used
before us, or that we are his disciples.
7. Shall they escape by iniquity ? In thine anger cast down thy people, O
God.
The signal vengeance inflicted on the enemies of David, of Christ,
and of the church, in different ages, may serve to convince us, that
if we would " escape," it must be from sin, not by it.
8. Thou tellest my wanderings : put thou my tears into thy bottle : are
they not in thy book 7
Known unto God are all the afflictions of his servants ; while
banished, like David, from their abiding city and country, they
" wander " here below, in the land of their pilgrimage. The " tears"
of penitents are had in remembrance, and, as so many precious
gems, will one day adorn their crowns. How dear then, in the sight
of God, were the "wanderings" and the "tears" of the holy Jesus,
submitting to perform penance for those sins which he never com-
mitted !
9. Wh^n I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know;
for God is for me.
What can we possibly desire more, than this assurance, that, how-
many, or how formidable soever our enemies may be, yet there is
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 203
«ne always ready to appear in our defence, whose power no creature
is able to resist ? " This I know," saith David ; and had we the
faith of David, we should know it too.
10. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will 1 praise his word.
11. In God have I put my trust : I will not be afraid what man can do unto
me. (See above, on verse 4.) 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God ; I will
render praises unto thee. 13. For thou hast delivered my soul from death ;
wilt not thou deliver my feet, or, my feet also, or, assuredly , from falling, that
I may walk before God in the light of the living 7
At the conclusion of this Psalm, and of many others, the prophet
speaketh of his deliverance as actually accompHshed ; he acknow-
ledgeth himself under the obligation of the vows made to God in the
night of affliction, which he is resolved to pay on the morning of
triumph and jubilee. O come that glorious morning, when the re-
deemed shall sing eternal praises to the Lord God of their salvation,
for having " dehvered their souls from death, and their feet from
faUing, that they may walk before him in the light of the living !"
PSALM LYIL
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is said to have been composed by David, on occasion of
his escape from Saul, in the cave at Engedi. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 3. And the church
by her appointment of it as one of the proper Psalms for Easter-day, hath instructed
us to transfer the ideas to the resurrection of Christ from the grave. The Psalm
containeth, 1 — 3. an act of faith in the promises ; 4. a description of grievous suffer-
ings ; 5. a prayer for the exaltation of God's glory, which is repeated again at the
conclusion ; 6. a prediction of judgment on the adversary ; 7 — 10. a strain of the
highest exultation and jubilee.
1. Be mercifid unto me, O God, be mercifid unto me, for my soul trusteth
in thee : yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I Tnake my refuge, until these
calamities be overpast.
David, encompassed by his enemies at Engedi, putteth up this
prayer to God ; the same prayer we may suppose to have been used
by our blessed Lord, when drawing near to the grave and gate of
death : and the church ever continueth the use of it, until she be
delivered from the bondage of corruption. In the meantime, she
teacheth her children to put themselves, living and dying, \mder the
protection of him who is always ready to " gather them, as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings." There they may rest in
peace and security.
2. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things
for m^.
David cried unto God, and was delivered out of the hand of Saul ;
the Son of David cried unto God, and was delivered from the power
of the grave ; the saints on earth cry unto God, and shall be deli-
vered out of their troubles ; the souls under the altar in heaven cry.
unto God, Rev. vi. 10, and shall obtain a reunion with their bodies.
Thus God " performeth all things for us," as well as for David.
204 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. He shall send from heaven^ and save me from the reproach of him that
'would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
We have all an enemy, who would " swallow us up ; and we
look for the manifestation of the divine mercy and truth" from
" heaven," for the salvation of our souls, and the redemption of our
bodies. A grand specimen of this manifestation was exhibited to
the world on that glorious morning when Jesus Christ rose from the
dead.
4. My soul is among lions : and / lie even among them that are set onfre,
even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a
sharp sword.
The fiercest of beasts, the most devouring of elements, and the
sharpest of military weapons, are selected, to represent the power and
fury of David's enemies. How much stronger and more furious
were the enemies of Christ, who, in the day of his passion, resem-
bled Daniel in the lion's den, the three children in the fiery furnace,
and who stood alone, exposed to the assaults of men and evil
spirits !
5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens ; let thy glory be above all
the earth.
God is exalted and glorified among men by the display of mercy
and judgment, in the salvation of his children from the hands of
their enemies. But chiefly was he exalted, when, having raised up
his Son Jesus, he set him at his own right hand, far above all prin-
cipalities and powers, and every thing that is named in heaven and
in earth. This was the great exaltation, prefigured, foretold, and in-
cessantly prayed for, in the ancient church.
6. They have prepared a net for my steps ; my soul is bowed down : they
have digged a pit before tne, into the midst whereof they are fallen, or, sfialt
fall themselves.
David compares himself, 1 Sam. xxvi. 20, to a bird upon the
mountains, which the fowler endeavoureth to hunt into the nets and
snares set up and prepared for its destruction. So was the most in-
nocent dove, the holy Jesus, persecuted by the Jews, until they had
driven him into the snares of death, and laid him low in the grave.
But the enemies of both received, in the end, the due reward of their
deeds, and " fell into the pit they had digged."
7. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed ; / will sing and give
praise.
At the prospect of approaching deliverance, the prophet, in the
person of Christ, declareth his heart to be fixed and established,
steadfast and unmoveable in the midst of trouble, even then prepar-
ing to celebrate its future enlargement with songs of praise.
8. Awake up my glory ; awake psaltery and harp : I myself will awake
early, or, awaken the morning.
For this purpose he calls upon his tongue, with all his instruments
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 205
of music, all the organs of the body and affections of the soul, to
unite their power in sweetest harmony and concert, and to awaken
the sluggish morning with the voice of melody, sounding forth the
glories of redemption. Thus should the morning be ever celebrated,
on which Christ " arose from the dead, and became the first-fruits of
them that slept."
9. / will praise tJiee, O Lord, among the people ; I will sing unto thee
among the nations. 10. JTor thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy
truth unto the clouds.
The resurrection of Jesus from the grave, foreshadowed in the
deliverance of David from the hand of Saul, was a transaction which
caused the heavens and all the powers therein, to extol the mercy
and the truth of God. The nations of the earth, whose are the be-
nefits and blessings of that transaction, are, therefore, bound ever-
more to make it the subject of their praises and thanksgivings;
which is done by the members of our church, every Easter-day, in
the w^ords of this very Psalm.
11. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens ; let thy glory be above all
the earth.
Even so, be thou still exalted, O blessed Jesu ! above the heavens,
while the angels sing their hallelujahs on high ; and let thy glory
be above all the earth, while, in psalms and hymns, and spiritual
songs, the congregations of the redeemed incessantly magnify thy
salvation below.
" The church triumphant, and the church below,
In songs of praise their present union show ;
Their joys are full, our expectation long ;
In life we differ, but we join in song.
Angels and we, assisted by this art.
May sing together, though we dwell apart."
Walker on Divine Poesie.
PSALM LVIIL
ARGUMENT. — In the person of Saul and his iniquitous counsellors, the enemies of
Chrisj and the church, 1, 2. are reproved, and, 3 — 5. their malice is described, by
comparing it to the poison of serpents, which are proof against every art made use
of to tame them : 6 — 9. the destruction of the wicked is foretold, and illustrated by
six similitudes ; 10. the triumph of the righteous is likewise predicted ; as also,
1 1. the effect it will produce, in manifesting to all the world the providence and glory
of God.
1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation ? Do ye judge up-
rightly, O ye sons of men ? 2. Yea, in heart ye work wickedness ; ye weigh
the violence of your hands, or, your hands from violence, in the earth.
The proceedings of Doeg, and other associates of Saul, against
David ; those of Judas and the sanhedrim, against our Lord ; and
those of wicked princes, and court sycophants, in different ages,
against the faith and the church ; as they spring from the same
principles, so they flow pretty much in the same channel. Such
men may here see their characters drawn, and their end foretold.
206 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. The wicked are estranged from the womb : they go astray as soon as
they be born, speaking lies.
The tares sown by the enemy, in human nature, appear early ;
and show us how far we are " estranged" from original truth and
righteousness. What can be expected, unless grace and discipUne
prevent it, but that " out of the serpent's root shall come forth a
cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent."
4. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent ; they are like the deaf adder
that stoppeth her ear : 5. WJiich will not hearken to the voice of charmers^
charming never so wisely.
The wicked are here compared to serpents, for that mahgnity in
their tempers which is the venom and poison of the intellectual
^vorld. And whereas there are some kinds even of serpents, which,
by musical sounds, may, for a time, as it is said, be disarmed of their
rage, and rendered so tame as to hQ l!Jindled without danger ;* yet
the evil dispositions of some men, like those of one particular spe-
cies of the serpentine race, are often invincible. The enmity of a
Saul, was proof against the heavenly strains of the son of Jesse ;
and He, who spake as " never man spake," was stung to death by a
" generation of vipers."
6. Break, or, thou wilt break, their teeth, O God, in their mouths; bi^edk, or
thou wilt break, out the teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
The destruction of the wicked is represented under six similitudes.
The first is that of breaking the teeth of hons, being the most terri-
ble weapons of the most terrible animals. But what is human
power, at its highest exaltation, if compared to that of God ? The
mountains of Gilboa can tell us, the desolated Zion can inform us,
how the mighty are fallen, and the weapons of war perished ! be-
cause the mighty had exalted themselves, and the weapons of war
had been lifted up against truth and innocence, protected by the de-
crees of Heaven.
7. Let tJiem, or, they shall, melt away as waters which run continually, or,.
* " Bochart quotes several ancient authors, who mention this effect of music, and
among them Virgil, ^neid, vii. v. 753.
' Vipereo generi, et graviter spirantibus hydris
Spargere qui somnos cantuque manuque solebat.'
The elder Scaliger, as quoted by the same learned critic, writes thus : ' Nos aliquandc
vidimus cantationibus e cavemis exciri serpentes ;' and Mr. Boyle, in his Essay on the
Great Effects of Languid Motion, p. 71, ed. 1685, gives us the following passage, from
Sir H. Blunt's Voyage into the Levant, p. 81, edit. 5. ' Many rarities of living crea-
tures I saw in Grand Cairo ; but the most ingenious was a nest of four-legged serpents,
of two feet long, black and ugly, kept by a Frenchman ; who, when he came to han-
dle them, they would not endure him, but ran and hid in their hole ; then would he
take his cittern, and play upon it ; they, hearing his music, came all crawling to his
feet, and began to climb up him, till he gave over playing ; then away they ran.' The
*deaf' adder may either be a serpent of a species naturally deaf, (for several such
kinds are mentioned by Avicenne, as quoted by Bochart,) or one deaf by accident : in
cither case she may be said, in the language of poetry, to ' stop her ear,' from her being
proof to all the efforts of the charmer.'^ — Merrick,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 207
pass away ; when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them, or, they
shall, be as cut in pieces.
The second similitude used to illustrate the destruction of the
"wicked, is that of torrents and inundations, which descend with great
noise from the mountains, and cover the face of a country ; but their
cause soon ceasing to act, they run off and appear no more; herein
affording a fine emblem of the weakness and instability of earthly
power. The impotence of human eiforts against divine counsels is
compared, thirdly, to a man drawing a bow, when the arrow on
the string is broken in two ; and therefore, instead of flying to the
mark, falls useless at his feet.
8. As a snail which melteth, let every one of fhem pass away : like the un-
timely birth of a woman, thai, they may not see the sun. Or, As a Tnelting
snail he shall pass away ; as an abortion, they see not the sun.
A snail, wliich, coming forth of his shell, marks his path with
slime, continually losing some part of his substance in his progress ;
and an abortion, which consumes aw^ay in the like manner • these
are the fourth and fifth images, selected to represent the transient
nature o^' worldly greatness, still wasting, till it comes to nothing ;
and the miserable fate of those who perish, with their half-formed
devices, nor ever behold the Sun of Righteousness.
9. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a
whirlwind, both livings, and in his icrath; or, he shall take them away alive^
as with a whirlwind, in his wrath.
Wicked men have, in common with others, that tendency to de-
cay which is entailed on the world, and on all things therein; but
they are warned, by this sixth and last simihtude, to prevent the
judgments of the Almighty. These often break forth like a whirl-
wind, or a thunder-storm, and sweep away at once, in the flower of
their strength, and the height of their prosperity, the tyrannical op-
pressor of the people of God ; whose short-lived glory, and sudden
extinction, are aptly resembled to that ciackling and momentary
blaze which is produced by a fire, kindled among thorns, undei% a
pot.
10. The righteous shall rejoice, when he seeth the ve^igeance ; he shall wash
his feet in the blood of the wicked: 11. So that a man shall say, Verily, there
is a reward for the righteous ; verily, he is, or, there is, a God that judgeth in
the earth.
The victories of that Just One, gained in his own person and in
those of his faithful servants, over the enemies of man's salvation,
are productive of a joy, which s])ringeth not from love of revens^e,
but is inspired by a view of the divine mercy, justice, and truth, dis-
played in the redemption of the elect, the punishment of the ungodly,
and the accomplishment of the promises. Whoever duly weigheth
and considereth these things, will diligently seek after the reward
of righteousness, and humbly adore the providence which ordereth
all things aright in heaven and earth.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
ELEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LIX.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is said to have been composed on occasion of David's
escape, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. See 1 Sam. xxix,
11 — 18. David in these, as in many other circumstances of his life, may bo con-
sidered as the representative of Messiah, 1, 2. praying to be delivered from the
power of his blood-thirsty enemies, whose indefatigable malice he, 3 — 7. describes;
but, 8 — 10. predicts his own enlargement through the tender mercy and mighty
power of God; as also, 11 — 15. the singular vengeance to be poured out upon his
enemies, for their punishment, and the admonition of others. The Psalm concludes
with a strain of exultation and thanksgiving.
1. Deliver me from mine enemies^ O my God; defend me, Heb. exalt me,
from them that rise up against me. 2. Deliver me from the workers of ini-
quity, and save me from bloody men.
In these words we hear the voice of David, when a prisoner in his
own house ; the voice of Christ, when surrounded by his merciless
enemies ; the voice of the church, when under bondage in the world ;
and the voice of the Christian, when under temptation, affliction,
and persecution.
3. For^ lo, they lie in wait for my soul ; the mighty are gathered against
7ne : not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord. 4. T%ey run and pre-
pare theinselves without my faiUt ; awake lo help me, and behold.
The mighty men of Saul were gathered against David, who had
been guilty of no offence against the king, and therefore was, so far,
innocent. The Jews and Romans were gathered against Jesus
Christ, who had committed no sin at all, and was perfectly inno-
cent. And the world is sometimes in arms against the children of
God, only for doing what it is their duty to do. In all such cases,
God is to be applied to, as the helper and avenger of those who suf-
fer unjustly.
5. Thou, therefore, O Lord, God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake, or, thou
sUhlt awake, to visit all the heathen : be not merciful, or, thou wilt not be mer-
ciful, to any wicked transgressors.
The prophet, in this verse, seemeth to respect that great day of
final retribution, which is to succeed the day of grace, the accepted
time of repentance and pardon. For then it is that Jehovah shall
awake, to judge the nations ; to reward every man according to his
deeds; and to banish for ever from his presence the impenitent
workers of iniquity. The malicious adversaries of David, and those
of the Son of David, may not then find the mercy so often by them
rejected, in the days of their flesh.
6. They return at evening ; they make a noise like a dog, and go round
about the city.
The emissaries of Saul, coming after David in the " evening,"
besettinor his house, and blocking up the avenues, are compared to
a set of hungry blood-hounds in quest of their prey. But the pic-
ture is drawn Ukewise for that herd of evening wolves who thirsted
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 209
after the blood of the Lamb of God, on whom their mouths were
opened, crying, " Crucify him ! crucify him !"
7. Behold, they belch, or, spout, out with their mouth ; swords are in their
lips, for who, say they, doth hear ?
Out of the abundance of malice in the heart, the mouth will speak,
like the cutting of a sword ; and the wicked take counsel against
the just, as if there were no one above who heard and regarded.
8. But thou, O Lord, shall laugh at them ; thou shall have all the heathen
in derision.
These very expressions are used in the fourth verse of the second
Psalm, to denote the futiUty of all the counsels entered into, by Jew
and Gentile, against Messiah and his church. The Psahn before
us seems evidently to relate to the same counsels, against the same
blessed Person, whatever part of King David's history might be the
occasion of its being composed.
9. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee; for God is my defence,
tiT, exaltation. 10. The God of my mercy shall prevent me; God shall let
me see my desire, Heb. look, upon mine enemies.
To the strength of the adversary the Psalmist opposeth that of
God, which he foresaw would rescue him and avenge his cause In
all our troubles let us do likewise ; and then, he who exalted David,
and a greater than David, will in due time exalt us, and we shall
Jook, without fear, upon our spiritual enemies.
11. Slay them not, lest my people forget ; scatter them by thy power, and
bring them down, O Lord, our shield. Or, Thou wilt not slay them, thou wilt
scatter them, &c.
The prophet, in the person of Messiah, predicteth the singular fate
of the Jews : who, for their sins, were not extirpated, lest the Gen-
tile Christians should " forget " their punishment ; but were " scat-
tered" among all nations, and degraded from the glorious privileges
of that high rank in which they once stood.* Thus doth that people
remain, at this day, a monument of God's vengeance against apos-
tacy ; a beacon, set up, and kindled by the hand of Heaven, as a warn-
ing to all Christian Churches, that they split not on the same fatal rock.
12. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them, or, they
shall even be taken in their pride : and for cursing and lying which they speak.
The causes of the Jews' dispersion are here assigned, viz. " the sin
of their mouth" in the "words of their hps," or their "hard
speeches " spoken against the Son of God ; their slanders, lying ac-
cusations, and outrageous blasphemies, together with that horrid im-
precation in which they involved their descendants ; who have
groaned under the weight of it for near these 1700 years, and yet
still continue to justify the deeds of their fathers, retaining that
* Prophetic^, Christiani divinse ultionis oblivisci non possunt, dum Judsei, excidio suo
Buperstites, et ubique vagi, poenam Buam, et pariter in testimonium, eloquia divina cir-
<;umferunt. — Bossuet.
27
210 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
" pride '' in their names, and long since forfeited privileges, which
provoked the Romans to destroy their city and country.
13. Consume them in thy wrath, consume them, or, thou shalt consume Ihem,
&,c. that they may not^ <ir, shall not, be ; and let them, or, they shall, know
that God rideth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth.
This prediction was accomplished in the total subversion of Jeru-
salem l3y Titus, when the Jews, having no longer any city, temple,
or civil polity, ceased to "be," as a nation. And they have seen
enough to have convinced them, that God is the God " not of the
Jews only, but of the Gentiles also." The gospel hath been
preached, idolatry hath been overthrown, the nations have been con-
verted to the faith of Abraham, and that of David, whose Psalms
are used throughout the world ; and God, who " ruled in Jacob, and
was known in Jewry," now is known and ruleth "unto the ends
of the earth ;" for they "have seen the salvation," and submitted to
the sceptre of King Mecsiah.
14. And at evening let them, or, they shall return; and let them, or, they
shall, make a noise like a, dog. and go round about the city. 15. Let them,
or, they shall, wander up and down for meat, and grudge, or, howl, ij they be
not satisfied.
The punishment inflicted on the wicked often carries the mark of
their crime. It is just that they who have thirsted after the blood of
the righteous, should want a drop of water to cool their tongues ; and
the hunger of a dog is deservedly their plague, of whom a resem-
blance of that unclean aninial's disposition hath been the sin. Such
is the present condition of the Jews, excluded from the church, and
suffering all the calamities of a spiritual famine ; and such will be
the condition of all those who are to wail and lament in vain, with-
out the holy city for evermore. — Rev. xxii. 15.
16. But I will sing of thy powers ; ypa I will sing aloud of thy mercy in
the morning : for thou ha at been my defence and refuge in the day of my
trouble. 17. tfnto thee, (!> my strength, will I sing : for God is my defence,
and the God of my mercy.
While the wicked murmur and repine at the dispensations of
Heaven, the righteous are employed in giving thanks and praises
for the same ; and the "morning" which is to consign the former
to the habitatioris of despair, where no sounds are heard but those
of hideous wailings and horrid blasphemies, shall transport tlie latter
to the mansions of felicily, resounding with incessant hallelujahs.
PSALM LX.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is thonjrhf to liave been composed by David, wben, after
his cominjr to the throne, the tribes of Israel had submitted to his sceptre, and he was
engagred in the rediiclion of the adjacent countries. See the history, 2 Sam. chap.
V. and viii. 1 — .3. Ho describes what Israel had lately suffered from foreign ene-
mies, and domestic feuds ; 4, 5, 6. he declareth himself appointed to condrct his
people to victory and trumph, according to a divine prediction ; 6, 7. he rejoiceth
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 211
in the accession of the other tribes to that of Judah, and, 8 — 12. sees Edom, Moab,
and Philistia, already subdued by the mighty power of God. All this is now to be
spiritually applied in the Christian church, to the establishment and enlargement of
Messiah's kingdom, prefigured by that of David.
1. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been dis-
pleased ; O turn thyself to us again.
When the church, by her sins, hath rejected God, she is rejected
by him ; she is deUvered into the hands of her enemies, and suffers
persecution : when, by repentance and supplication, she returneth to
him, he is ready to meet and receive her. The history of Israel is
one continued exemphfication of these most interesting truths. It
should be the care and endeavour of every church, and every indivi-
dual, to profit thereby.
2. Thou hast made the earth, or, the land, to tremble; thou hast broken it;
heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh. *
The persecutions of the Israehtish church often shook the " land"
of promise ; the persecutions of the Christian church have frequently
moved the whole earth. Afflictions of this kind may be likened to
wounds sometimes made in a diseased body by skilful surgeons, to
be healed again, when, by a discharge of the corrupt humours, they
have answered the end for which they were intended.
3. Thou hast showed thy people hard things ; thou hast made v^ to drink
the wine of astonishment, or, intoxication.
The Israelites had not only suffered " hard things" from their pro-
fessed enemies the Philistines, by the overthrow of Saul and his
army, but their civil dissensions at home showed that they had drunk
deep of the bitter cup of infatuation. See 1 Sam. xxxi. and 2 Sam.
ii. and iii. From these two sources flow the calamities of churches
and of kingdoms in all ages, whensoever it pleaseth God to visit
their transgressions upon them by the instrumentality of men.
4. Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be dis-
played because of the truth.
For the temporal salvation of Israel, God raised up David, accord-
ing to his promise ; to whose standard, as a centre of unity, the
worshippers of the true God might resort. For the spiritual and
eternal salvation of the church, God raised up his Son Jesus, accord-
ing to his promise, and " displayed the banner of the cross," under
which believers are enhsted, and led on to triumph, " because of the
truth." Remarkable to this purpose are the words of Isaiah ; " In
that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an en-
sign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest," after
the battle is over, and the victory gained, "shall be glorious."
Isa. xi. 10.
5. That thy beloved may be delivered, save with tJiy right hand, and
hear me.
This prayer, which king David preferred for Israel, the great In-
tercessor prefers continually for his church ; and all ought to prefer
for themselves and for others.
212 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
6. God hath spoken in his holiness ; or, by his Holy One, I will rejoice, or.
exalt, i. e. as a conqueror ; 1 will divide Shechem, arid mete out the valley of
Succoth.
As a ground of hope and confidence, David here declares, that
God, by the mouth of an holy prophet, had spoken and promised
him the success for which he prayed in the foregoing verse. And
that this was known among the people, appears from a speech of
Abner to the elders of Israel, 2 Sam. iii. 18 : " The Lord hath spoken
X)f David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand
of all their enemies." Having, therefore, mentioned this prediction,
much of which was already accomplished, he exults as a conqueror,
resolving to divide into districts, and portion out under proper officers,
the country about Samaria, now become his own.
7. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine ; Ephraim also is the strength of
my head ; Judah is my lawgiver.
" Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim," and the other tribes of Israel,
upon the death of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, whom Abner had set
over them, joined the royal tribe of Judah, and came in, with one
accord, to the house of David. See 2 Sam. ii. 8, and v. 1. " Eph-
raim," as a tribe abounding in valiant men, is styled by its prince,
" the strength" of his " head," or the support of his life and kingdom ;
and " Judah," as the seat of empire, replenished with men of wis-
dom and understanding, quahfied to assist the throne by their salu-
tary counsels, is dignified by the title of " lawgiver." Thus are the
tribes of the spiritual "Israel" subject to Messiah, and serve him in
various capacities, as the spirit furnishes different men with different
powers : some being endued with zeal and fortitude, to labour and
suffer ; others with knowledge and discretion, to instruct and govern.
8. Moab is my washpot ; over Edom will I cast out, or, extend my shoe ;
Philistia, triumph thou because of me ; Heb. over Philistia give a shout of
triumph. The parallel passage, Ps. cviii. 9. has it — Over Philistia I will
give a shout of triumph.
After having mentioned the submission of the Israelitish tribes to
liis sceptre, David predicts the extension of his kingdom over the
neighbouring nations, those inveterate enemies of the people of God ;
such as the Moabites, the Edomites, and, above all, the Philistines.
The absolute reduction of these nations under his dominion, is ex-
pressed metaphorically, by the phrases of " making them his wash-
pot, and extending his shoe, i. e. setting his foot," upon them. The
Son of David also must " reign, till he liath put all enemies under
his feet." 1 Cor. xv. 25. And the Christian in these words, now
declareth his hope of being enabled to do the same ; to conquer
through his Lord, and to triumph with him.
9. WJw will bring me into the strong city ? Wlw will lead me into Edom?
Bozrah, the capital of Idumea, or " Edom," was a fortified town,
situated on a rock, deemed impregnable. See Obad. ver. 3. Con-
sidering therefore the strength of the adversary, David, by this
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 213
question acknowledgeth his own impotency, and the need he had of
superior aid, in order to achieve this important conquest. How great
need, then, have we of an Ahnighty Saviour, who may enable us to
overcome our last and strongest enemy, death ! And it is very re-
markable, that Christ's victory over this very enemy is set forth by
the prophet Isaiah, under the striking image of a king of Israel, re-
turning in triumph from the reduction of Idumea. "Who is this
that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah," (fcc.
Isa. Ixiii. 1. The reader will be no less entertained than instructed,
by a discourse of Bishop Andrews on this subject, being the seven-
teenth of his Sermons on Easter-day.
10. Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God^ which
didst not go out with our armies 7
The question in the last verse, "Who will bring me into Edom?"
is here answered by another question, " Wilt not thou, O God ?" (fee.
that is. To whom can we have recourse for assistance, but to thee, O
God ? Deserted by thee, we fall ; but do thou go forth with us, and
we shall again rise superior to every enemy. So saith the Christian
soldier : " Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of
eternal life ;" " Thou hast overcome the sharpness of death, and
opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers."
11. Give us help Jroin trouble ; for vain is the help of man. 12. Through
God we shall do valiantly ; for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
David, like a wise and pious prince, acknowledgeth the weakness
of the fleshly arm, and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Much more ought we to confess the impotence of nature, and to im-
plore the succours of grace ; that so we may happily accomplish our
spiritual warfare, tread Satan under our feet, and triumph finally
over the last enemy, death himself.
PSALM LXI.
ARGUMENT. — In the person of David, for a while driven into exile, and then re-
stored to his kingdom, we here behold the church, or any member thereof, 1, 2, 3.
preferring a petition for deliverance from the troubles and temptations of this mortal
state ; 4, 5. expressing faith and hope in God ; 6, 7. praying for the prosperity and
perpetuity of Messiah's kingdom ; and, 8. resolving to praise God evermore for the
same.
1. Hear my cry, O God ; attend unto my prayer. 2. From the end of the
earth icill I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed ; lead me to the rock
that is higher than 1,
The church, extended far and wide among the nations, crieth.
aloud unto God, by the prayers of its members, even "from the end,"
or utmost parts, " of the earth." The world is to Christians a sea of
troubles and temptations, from which they daily beseech God to de-
liver them, and to place them on the "rock" of their salvation;
which rock is Christ. Grounded on him, by faith in his sufferings
214 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and exaltation, we may defy all the storms and tempests that can
be raised against ns by the adversary, while, as from the top of a
lofty mountain on the shore, we behold the waves dashing them-
selves in pieces beneath us.
3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
Meditation on God our Saviour, as set forth in the Scriptures, will
ever prove to the believer, "a strong tower" or fortress, in which he
will be safe from the darts of the enemy, and will be furnished with
impregnable arguments, wherewith to oppose and blunt the force of
every temptation which Satan can launch against his soul.
4. / will abide in thy tabernacle for ever : I will trust in the covert of thy
wings.
They who sojourn in the "tabernacle" of the church mihtant on
earth, and continue faithful members of the same, shall take up their
eternal residence in that permanent "temple," the church trium-
phant in heaven. Below they are protected by the all-shadowing
"wing'' of God's fatlierly providence ; above, they will be rewarded
with the all-illuminating vision of his glorious presence.
5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows; thou hast given me the heritage
of those that fear thy 7iame.
The "vows" of David, made during his banishment, were heard?
and he was restored to the possession of his kingdom, in that land
which God had given to his people, for an " heritage." The vows
of Messiah, made in the days of his pilgrimage, Avere heard, and he
hath re-assumed his ancient throne in the heavenly Jerusalem.
The prayers of the faithful, made in the land where they are in
exile, are heard, and their spirits shall return to God, who will "give
them the heritage of those that fear his name."
6. Thou wilt prolong the king''s life ; and his years as many generations.
7. He shall abide before God for ever : O prepare mercy and truth, which may
preserve him. Or, 6. Thou wilt add days to the days of the king : his years
as generation and generation. 1. He shall dwell before God for ever ; mercy
and truth shall preserve him.
These words must be applied to Him of whom it was said by the
angel, " The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of
his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke i. 32. The ancient church
prayed for "his" exaltation and glory, under those of his represen-
^tative; nay, the Chaldee paraphrast expounds this passage of Mes-
siah only : " Thou shalt add days to the days of King Messias ; his
years shall be as the generation of this world, and of the world to
come." Nor can a better paraphrase be easily devised.
8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform
my vows.
For the preservation and prosperity, the exaltation, the power, and
the everlasting glory of Christ's kingdom, with all the benefits and
blessings thereof, we are bound to sing praise unto God's holy name
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS*- 215
for ever, and daily to perform the vows made in baptism, that we
would believe in him, and serve him all the days of our life ; until
the blessed day shall dawn, which no night is to follow, when faith
shall end in vision, and duty be resolved into praise.
NINTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LXII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. a resolution to trust in God alone ; 3, 4.
a denunciation of judgment against the persecutors of the Just One ; 5 — 7. a re-
peated act of faith, and resolution to (rust in God, with, 8. an exhortation to all na-
tions to do the same ; and that, 9, 10. because there is no confidence to be placed
in man, or in the world ; but only, 11. in the divine power, and, 12. mercy.
1. TVuly my soul waitcth, or, resteih upon God: from him, cometh my sal-
vation. 2. He only is my rock, and my salvation; he is my defence, Heb.
high place ; J slmll not he greatly moved.
David, in the midst of trouble, and perhaps tempted to have re-
course to sinful expedients for his preservation, determines slill to re-
pose all his confidence on the promised mercy of him who is the
"salvation," the "rock," and the "high place," or fortress of men.
Christ would not be dehvered from his sufferings by any other
means than those which the Father had ordained. The church, in
like manner, should patiently, wait for the salvation of God, and not
attempt, through distrust of the divine mercy, to save herself by un-
warrantable methods of her own devising.
3. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? Ye shall he slain
aU of you : as a howing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.
From a declaration of his trust in God, the prophet passeth to aa
expostulation with his enemies, for continually plotting against him ;
and foretelleth that their destruction will happen suddenly and irre-
mediably, like the downfall of a wall that is out of the perpendicular,
or a stone fence, the parts of which are not cemented together. See
Isai. XXX. 13. Hov*^ striking is this expostulation and this prediction,
if considered as addressed by Messiah to his implacable enemies !
4. They only consult to cast him d^wn from, his excellency ; they delight
in lies ; they hi ess with their mouth, hut they curse inwardly.
The adversaries of David " consulted " how to deprive him of
those honours to which God designed to exalt him ; the Scribes and
Pharisees took counsel against Jesus with the same intent ; and to
rob the Christian of the glory and immortality prepared for him, is
the end of every temptation which the enemy throws in his w ay,
whether it be of the terrifying, or, which oftener succeeds, the flatter-
ing, alluring, and deceiving kind.
5. My soul, wait thou only upon God : for my expectation h from him.
6. He only is my rock and my salvation : he is my defence, or, high place; I
216 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
sTiall not he moved. 7. In God is my salvation, and my glory ; the rock of.
my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
The consideration suggested in the preceding verse, namely, that
the enemy is ever intent upon our ruin, should stir us up, after the
prophet's example, to renew our faith, and strengthen ourselves yet
more, and more, continually, in the Lord our God, who alone giveth
victory, salvation, and glory.
8. TYust in him at all times ; ye people, pour out your hearts before him :
God is a refuge for us.
The comforts which David had found, he exhorteth others to seek,
in faith and prayer ; in such a faith as fixeth itself on God, when
the whole world is against it ; and such prayer as poureth forth alL
the desires of the soul into the bosom of the Almighty. How often,
in repeating the Psalms, do we declare that " God is our refuge ;"
yet how very seldom do we recur to him, as such, in the hour of
temptation.
9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie;,
to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
A reason is here assigned, why we should at all times " trust in
God ;" namely, because there is nothing else in which we can trust, .
but it will in the end deceive us. Weighed in the " balance" of
heaven, the power of man to save, is " less than nothing." Let us
weigh every thing in that exact and faithful balance.
10. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery; if riches
increase, set not your lieart upon them.
Of all things here below wealth is that on which poor deluded
man is chiefly tempted, even to the end of life, to place his confidence ;
and when " riches increase," it proves a hard task for the human
heart to keep its affections sufficiently detached from them. But he-
who by injustice acquireth the earthly mammon, justly forfeiteth the
treasures of heaven ; and he who is made vain and covetous by
money, however honestly gotten, renders that a curse to one, which
was designed as a blessing to many, and drowns himself in the
spring which should have watered all around him.
11. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, or, these two things
have I heard ; that poicer belongeth unto God. 12. Also unto thee, O Lord,
belongeth mercy ; for thou renderest to every man according to his work.
In opposition to the vain boasts of worldly men, trusting in their^
riches, (fee. is cited the declaration of God, when, from mount Sinai,
he proclaimed himself to be Jehovah, the fountain of all " power,"
in heaven above, and on earth beneath, jealous of the glory of this
attribute, ready to avenge himself on the wicked, and able to abase
the pride of man. At the same time also, he proclaimed himself
" the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving ini-^
quity, and transgression, and sin :" Exod. xxxiv. 6. To all man-
kind, therefore, the prophet here recommendeth meditation on thesa
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 217
two most interesting subjects, the " power " of God to punish sin^
and his " mercy" to pardon it. Fear of the former will beget desire
of the latter, and both together will set a man upon doing works
worthy of their parent faith ; works, which God, of his infinite
" mercy," for the sake of Christ, has graciously promised to accept,
and to "reward."
PSALM LXIII.
ARGUMENT. — David, in the wilderness of Judah, expresseth, 1, 2. his longing desire
after the presence of God, and the divine pleasures of the sanctuary ; 3 — 6. hebless-
eth and praiseth God both day and night, in the midst of affliction, and, 7, 8. de-
clareth his faith to be immoveable ; 9, 10. he predicteth the fate of the wicked, with,
11. the exaltation, triumph, and glory of Messiah, to be exhibited in his own. Th&
whole Psalm is applicable to the circumstance of Christ in the flesh, and to those of
his people in the world.
1. O God, thou art my God ; early will I seek thee : my soul thirsteth for
thee, my fesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is ;
2. To see thy power and thy glory, so as / have seen thee in the sanctuary.
After the example of the persecuted David in the wilderness of
Judah, and that of the afflicted Jesus upon earth, the true Christian
dedicates to God " the sweet hour of prime ;" he opens the eyes of
his understanding, together with those of his body, and awakes each
morning to righteousness. He arises, with an inextinguishable thirst
after those comforts which the world cannot give ; and has imme-
diate recourse, by prayer, to the fountain of the water of life ; ever
longing to behold the divine power and glory, in the sanctuary above,
of which he has been favoured with some glimpse in the services of
the church below.
3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise-
thee.
" Life" is the greatest of earthly blessings, all others being in-
cluded in it ; " all that a man hath," saith Satan, " will he give for
his hfe." Job ii. 4. Not so the Psalmist. He knew a pearl of far
greater price, namely, the " loving-kindness" of Jehovah, on which
is suspended not only the life which now is, but that which is to
come. The sense of this loving kindness tuned the harp of the son
of Jesse, and now tunes those of the spirits before the throne.
4. Thus will I bless thee while I live ; I will lift up my hands in thy name.
"While we live," however wretched our condition may be, we
have an opportunity of obtaining pardon, grace, and glory ; for which
we ought, at all times, " to bless" God, "hfting up pure hands" in
prayer, employing them in every good work, and all in the " name"
of Jesus.
5. My sold shall be satisfed. as with marrow and fatness ; and my mouth
shall praise ihee.'with joyful lips: 6. When I remember thee upon my bedy
and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Solitude and stillness render the " night watches" a fit season for
28
218 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
meditation on the so often experienced mercies of God ; which, when
thus called to remembrance, become a delicious repast to the spirit,
fiUing it with all joy, and peace, and consolation ; giving songs in
the night, and making darkness itself cheerful. How cheerful, then,
will be that last morning, when the righteous, awaking up after the
divine hkeness, shall be " satisfied" with all the fulness of God, and
" praise him with joyful hps," in those eternal courts where there is
no night, and from whence sorrow and sighing fly far away !
7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore under the shadow of thy wings
will I rejoice. 8. My soul follow eth hard after thee : thy right hand upholds
eth me.
Recollection of past mercies inclines the soul to put herself under
the " wing" of an all-shadowing Providence. Should her Redeemer,
for a time, seem to be deserting her, faith constraineth her to " follow
hard after him," as a child doth after the father ; and not to let go
the " hand" which hath so often " upholden" her from falling.
9. But those that seek my soul to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of
the earth. 10. They shall fall by the sword : they shall be a portion for foxes.
The enemies of Jehovah, and his Anointed, if they come not to
a violent death, an early grave, or to have their carcasses devoured
by the beasts of the field, (as hath sometimes been the case,) yet in
an after-state, their condition will certainly be deplorable. Their
habitation must be in the "pit," their punishment, the flaming
" sword" of almighty vengeance ; and their companions, those crafty
and malicious ones, who, having contributed to seduce, will help to
torment them.
11. But the' king shall rejoice in God; everyone that swear eth by him
shall glory : but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
If David found cause to rejoice in God, who gave him the victory
over all his enemies ; if the subjects of David might well glory in
their king ; if the slanderers of David were put to silence, at behold-
ing him exalted to the throne of Israel ; how much greater is the
joy of Messiah in the Godhead, giving the manhood victory over
his enemies ; sin, death, and hell ; how much rather may his sub-
jects and worshippers glory in their triumphant King; and how
much more shall the blasphemers of such a Saviour be everlastingly
confounded, when they shall behold him invested with all the power
and majesty of the Father, and seated on the throne of judgment !
Surely, then, "the mouth of them that speak Ues shall be stopped."
PSALM LXIV.
ARGUMENT. — David, in the person of Messiah, 1, 2. prayeth to be delivered from
his enemies, from their counsels and insurrections ; 3, 4. he describeth their calum-
nies and slanders, their scoffs and blasphemies, and, 5, 6. their indefatigable malice ;
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 219
predicting, 7 — 9. their astonishing fall, with, 10. the exaltation of the church, in God
her Saviour.
1. Hear my voice^ 0 God, in my prayer; preserve my life from fear of the
enemy.
The prophet, after beseeching God to hear him, prefers his petition,
which is, to be " preserved from fear of the enemy." A petition of
this kind is granted either by a removal of the ground of fear, when
the enemy's power to hurt is taken from him, or his will changed ;
or else, by an extirpation of the fear itself, through the increase of
faith, charity, and fortitude. For the former let us pray conditionally,
^' if it may be done, and if it is God's will that it should be done,"
as Christ prayed against the bitter cup in the garden ; for the latter
we may pray absolutely ; since a victory, gained by the fear of God
over the fear of man, is a necessary step, and a happy prelude, to a
full and final triumph over every enemy of our salvation.
2. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked: from the insurrection of
the workers of iniquity.
The " counsels and insurrections" of the Israelites against David ;
of the same people afterwards, against the son of David ; of worldly
and wicked men against the church ; and of the powers of darkness
against us all, are here, respectively, understood to be deprecated.
3. Who whet their tongue like a sword, and be^id their bows to shoot their
arrows, even bitter words : 4. That they may shoot in secret at the perfect ;
suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
In personal scoffings and revilings, the tongue performs the part
of a " sword." which is a weapon that can be used only in open ren-
conters : but " bitter words," spoken in secret, and at a distance from
him who is the subject of them, are like " arrows," which may be
shot from an obscure and remote corner, and therefore cannot be
warded off. The tongue in both these capacities was employed
against that perfect one, the holy Jesus, in the days of his flesh.
Would to God it had never been since employed against him and his
disciples, or by his disciples against each other !
5. They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they commune of laying
snares privily ; they say, Who shall see them 7
Sin doth not often appear abroad without a veil ; and the more
atrocious the sin, the more specious must be the pretence which is to
cover it. Envy and malice crucified the Son of God ; but, during
the course of the proceedings against him, you hear only of zeal for
the law, and loyalty to Caesar. Such are the " snares," set by the
crafty, to deceive the simple and unwary ; without considering that
the broad eye of heaven, all the time, surveys their most secret de-
vices, by which they impose upon others, and frequently upon them-
selves.
6. Tliey search out iniquities ; they accomplish a diligent search : both the
inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep.
T'ruth and righteousness may be found, and practised, with half
220 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the pains that are often employed to " search out iniquity," and estab-
lish error. The Jews could not accomplish the death of Christ with-
out counsels, stratagems, and subornations, " deep" and dark as hell
itself ; all which trouble they might have saved themselves at once,
by believing on him. The case is the same with virtue and vice ;
and honesty is the readiest, as well as the best poUcy.
7. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow ; suddenly shall they he
wounded. 8. So they shall make tJieir own tongue to fall upon themselves;
all that see them shall Jlee away.
While the enemies of the '' Just One" w^ere shooting in secret at
him, he that dwelleth in the heavens was levelling an arrow at them,
and one which would not fail to take place. It accordingly did so \
and the direful imprecations of " their own tongues fell," in unex-
ampled vengeance, on the heads of them and their children, who
continued to justify the deeds of their fathers. All would " flee
away" from the punishment of Jerusalem ; let all, then, depart from
the sins which occasioned it.
9. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God ; for they
shall wi$ely consider of his doing.
It is remarkable that the desolation of the once holy and beloved
city filled " all men w4th fear" and astonishment, forcing them to ac-
knowledge and " declare" it to be " the work of God." Even Titus,
the Roman emperor, confessed that he had fought and conquered by
the favour, and under the direction, of heaven. O that men would
" wisely consider" of this, and other wonderful works of the
Almighty !
10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him ; and
all the upright in heart shall glory.
As sorrow, sooner or later, will be the portion of Messiah's ene-
mies, so joy is the high privilege of his friends and disciples. The
" righteous" man alone can be truly " glad," because he alone can be
glad " in the Lord" Jesus, the object of all his confidence. There
was light in Goshen, when darkness covered the Egyptians ; the
Christian church drank the cup of salvation, when that of ven-
geance was mingled for Jerusalem ; and when the empire of Satan
shall fall, heaven will resound with hallelujahs.
TWELFTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LXV.
ARGUMENT.— In this very lovely song of Sion, the prophet treats, 1. of the praise-
due to Jehovah, for, 2. his mercy in hearing the prayers of her sevants, and, 3. in re-
deeming them from their sins; 4. he declareth the blessedness of the elect in Christ
their head ; 5. predicteth the wonderful things which God would do for the salva-
tion of men, by that power which 6, 7. established the mountains, and confined th©
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 221
«ea within its bounds ; 8. fortelleth the conversion of the nations ; and, 9 — 13. de-
scribeth the blessed effects of the Spirit poured out upon the church, under the figure
of rain, descending upon a dry ground.
1. Praise waitethfor thee^ O God, in Sion ; and unto thee shall the vow he
performed.
The oblations of " praise and thanksgiving" were formerly offered,
and all " vows" were paid, in the teniple on Mount " Sion." At Je-
rusalem was performed the promise of man's redemption by the sa-
crifice of the Son of God ; since which event, and the call of the
Gentiles, the Christian church has been the holy city and temple.
In our communion, we are to offer up our devotions, and to perform
the vow made in baptism ; until we come to the heavenly Sion, to
pay our vows, with the church triumphant, in everlasting hymns of
praise.
2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all Jiesh come.
The prophet here foretels, that on account of God's mercy, in hear-
ing the prayers of his people, " all flesh," that is, all mankind, out
of every nation, should " come" at his gracious call, and make their
supplications before him in his church. And to whom should " all
flesh come," but to him that " heareth prayer ?"
3. Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions thou shalt purge
them away.
The chief subject of the prayers, made by all flesh to God, is the
forgiveness of sin ; in order to which it must be confessed. The
verse, therefore, consisteth of two parts. First, an acknowledgment
of guilt : " Iniquities prevail against me ;" like whereunto is St.
Paul's complaint, " O wretched man that I am ; who shall deliver
me from this body of death !" The second part of the verse inti-
mates an assurance of pardon, through the blood of the Lamb : " As
for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away ;" exactly corres-
ponding to the answer which the apostle returneth to himself: "I
thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. vii. 25.
4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto
thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall he satisfied with the goodness
of thy hou^e, even of thy holy temple.
Blessed are they who are chosen out of the world, and admitted to
the privileges of the church ; still more blessed are they who are cho-
sen out of the congregation to stand continually in the presence of
God, and to minister in his courts ; but blessed, above all blessing
and praise, is the man Christ Jesus, elect, precious, chosen of God to
be an high priest for ever ; to make intercession for his people in the
courts of heaven ; that where he is, they may be also. Then shall
we indeed be satisfied with the " pleasures of thy house, O Lord,
^ven of thy holy temple."
5. By terrible, or, wonderful, things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O
God. of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and
of them that are afar off upon the sea.
The ancient church foretelleth, that God would "answer" her
222 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
prayers for the coming of Messiah, " by wonderful things in right-
eousness ;" which was brought to pass by the death and resurrec-
tion of Christ, the overthrow of idolatry, and the conversion of the
nations. Then, " the God of salvation" became "the confidence of
all the ends of the earth," and the inhabitants of the most distant
*' island" believed in Jesus. By "wonderful things in righteous-
ness," will the prayers of the church, which now is, be answered at
the second manifestation of the Son of God, in the glory of his Father.
6. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains ; being girded with
power: 7. Which stiUeth the noise oft/ie seas, the noise of their waves^and the
tumuli of the people.
That power which originally fixed the foundations of the " moun-
tains," and which from time to time, controls the " waves " of t[ie
sea, is engaged in the support and preservation of the church ; and
will never suffer the " waves" of this troublesome world, to overwhelm
the " mountain of his holiness."
8. TJiey also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens ; thou
Toakest the outgoings of tJie monrning and evening to rejoice.
The "tokens" or signs mentioned in this verse, are the exertions
of divine power and mercy, called above, " wonderful things in right-
eousness ;" which, at the publication of the gospel, produced a sa-
ving " fear" of God among the nations, "dwelKng in the uttermost
parts of the earth." " The isles," saith Isaiah on the same occasion,
^' saw it, and feared ; the ends of the earth were afraid ; they drew
near and came." Isa. xli. 5. And then it was that "the outgoings
of the morning and evening," all the inhabitants of the earth, as
many as experienced the sweet vicissitudes of day and night, of
morning and evening, were " made to rejoice" in God their Saviour ;
whose name was praised from the rising to the setting sun.
9. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it : thou greatly enrichest it with
the river of God, which is full cf water : thou preparest them corn, when thou
JuLst so provided for it ; or, for so thou hast established, or, constituted it.
Under the beautiful image of a once barren and dry land, ren-
dered fruitful by kindly showers of rain, turning dearth into plen-
teousness, are represented here (as in Isa. xxxv. and numberless
other places) the gracious "visitation" of the church by the Spirit;
the "riches" of grace and mercy, poured upon the hearts of men,
from the exhaustless " river of God ;" and the bountiful provision
made thereby, for the relief of that spiritual famine which had been
sore in all lands. See Isa. Iv. 10 ; Rev. xxii. 1 ; Amos viii. 11.
10. TVwu waterest the ridges thereof abundantly : thou settlest the furrows
thereof: tho2i makest it soft with showers: thou Messest the springing thereof
After the ground is ploughed up, the former rain, descending upon
the " ridges," and into the " furrows," dissolveth the parts of the
earth, and so fitteth it for the purpose of vegetation, whenever the
seed shall be cast into it : then cometh the latter rain, to assist, and
to "bless the springing" and increase thereof, unto a joyful harvest.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 223
Thus doth the good Spirit of God both prepare the hearts of his peo-
ple for the reception of the word, and also enable them to bear fruit,
bringing forth "some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty."
Matt. xiii. 23.
11. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness ; and thy paths, or, clouds,
or, heavens, drop fatness.
The herbs, fruits, and flowers, prod'uced by the earth, are here
finely represented as a beautifully variegated " crown,"' set upon her
head, by the hands of her great Creator ; at whose command, the
heavens, by collecting and distilling the drops of rain, impregnate
her, and make her the parent of terrestrial blessings. It is the same
God who will crown with everlasting goodness the acceptable year,
the year of his redeemed ; when the Spirit shall have accomplished
his work ; when God shall be glorified in his saints : and heaven,
as well as earth, shall be full of the goodness of Jehovah.
12. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness ; and the little hills re-
joice on every side; or, are girded about with gladness.
As the rain, which descendeth from heaven, causeth even the bar-
ren wilderness to become a green pasture, and investeth the naked
hills with the garments of joy and gladness ; so the Spirit, when
poured out from on high upon the Gentile world, converted that
" wilderness " into a "fruitful field;" while the churches, there rising
on all sides, like httle fertile " hills, rejoiced" with joy unspeakable,
and full of glory. See Isa. xxxii. 15 ; xxxv. 1, 2.
13. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys are also covered over
'With corn : they shout for joy, they also sing.
The happy effects of God's visiting the earth wnth rain, are val-
hes covered with corn, verdant meads, and thriving flocks. All
these ideas in the prophetical Scriptures, are frequently transferred
to the times of refreshment and consolation, of peace and fruitful-
ness in tlie church ; w^hich breaks forth into joy, in the one case, as
the world is always ready to do in the other. Manifold and marvel-
lous, O Lord, are thy works, whether of nature or of grace ; surely,
in wisdom and loving-kindness hast thou made them all ; the earth,
in every sense, is full of thy riches !
PSALM LXVL
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm the prophet, 1, 2. exciteth all the world to sing the
praises of God ; 3, 4. the power and universality of his kingdom ; 5 — 12. the deli-
verance of the church from various afflictions and temptations ; for which, 13 — 15.
we are to offer the sacrifices which had been vowed ; 16 — 19. to declare the mer-
cies and loving kindnesses of the Lord towards us ; and, 20. to bless his holy name
continually.
1. Make ajoyfd noise unto God, all ye lands, or, all the earth : 2. Sing
forth the honour of his name : make his praise glorixms.
" The holy church, throughout all the world," is here called upon
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
to lift up her voice, like the jubilee trumpet of old, in thanksgiving
to celebrate that name, which is above every name ; and to make
the praise of Jesus glorious, both by word and deed ; that so others,
hearing our voices, and seeing our works, may be led to glorify him
in like manner.
3. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works ! through the great-
ness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
The subjects proposed are the various and awful manifestations
of divine "power;" of that power which made, and which continues
to support, the Avorld ; which overthrows, and raises up, empires ;
which subverted the kingdom of Satan, established that of Christ, and
caused its enemies either to relinquish or dissemble their hostility.
Happy the man, whose heart and affections unfeignedly " submit
themselves" to the sceptre of Messiah !
4. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee ; they shall
sing to thy name.
What David spake in the future, the church now speaketh in the
present tense: — " All the earth doth worship thee, the Father ever-
lasting. Day by day we magnify thee ; and we worship thy name
ever, world without end." A day is coming when this shall be the
case, in an unlimited sense of the words ; when Jews and Gentiles,
quick and dead, heaven and earth, shall compose one perfect and
truly harmonious choir.
5. Come, and see the works of God : he is terrible in his doing toward the
children of men. 6. He turned the sea into dry land : they went through the
food on foot : there did we rejoice in him.
The prophet after inviting men to contemplate "the works of
God," sets before them, for that purpose, two great miracles wrought
for Israel ; namely the division of the Red Sea, and that of the river
Jordan ; by the former they escaped Egypt, by the latter they en-
tered Canaan. Under these two figurative transactions, the Chris-
tian church beholds, and, in the words which describe them, she
celebrates two corresponding works of mercy wrought for her ;
namely, the deliverance of her children from the dominion of sin, by
the waters of baptism ; and their admission into the kingdom of
heaven, through the grave and gate of death. If the Israelites re-
joiced in God their Saviour, for the former blessings, much more,
surely, ought we so to do for the latter.
7. He ruleth by his power for ever ; his eyes behold the nations: let not the
rebellious, or, ths rebellioits shall not, exalt themselves.
The uncontrollable sovereignty and superintending providence of
our God and King, are topics on which we should ever delight to
dwell. Establish, O Lord, thy kingdom within us, and suffer not
our " rebellious " passions to " exalt themselves " against it.
8. O bless our God, ye people^ and Tnake the voice of his praise to be heard:
9. Who holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be m,oved.
But chiefly are we bound to " bless " and praise " God, for that
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. ^SSS
'goodness and mercy, by which our feet are turned back from the
ways of death, placed in the path of " hfe," and enabled to walk
therein, without falling into perdition; until, having finished our
pilgrimage in the world, we lie down in peace, and our flesh resteth
sweetly in hope.
10. Far thou, O God, hast proved us : thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
Notwithstanding the mercy of God, and the salvation wrought for
us, we are here taught to expect afHiction and tribulation ; which
indeed are oftentimes necessary ; for, having in our composition a
^'mixture of the earth from whence we came, with a base alloy of con-
cupiscence, we stand as much in need of adversity as metals, in like
circumstances, do of the fire, to refine and purify our tempers. Try
us, O God ; but enable us to stand the trial !
11. TTiou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads ; we went through fire and
•water ; hut thou broughtest us into a wealthy place.
Various calamities are here mentioned, which God suffers to fall
upon his people. As first, their being " brought into the net," or en-
snared and taken captive by their enemies, whom they had not
power to resist or escape. Secondly, " affliction upon the loins," or
hard servitude under heavy burdens. Thirdly, " men riding over
their heads," or the manifold oppressions of persecuting tyrants,
trampling them under their feet, like war-horses in the day of battle.
Fourthly, passing " through fire and water," or troubles of different
and contrary kinds, though ahke deadly and destructive. But he
who brought Israel from among the brick-kilns of Egypt, and
through the waters of the Red Sea and the river Jordan, into the
promised rest, will bring us safely through every fiery trial, and
through the waves of a troublesome world, to the land of everlasting
peace and comfort.
13. / will go into thine house with burnt-offerings ; I will pay thee my vows^
14. Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in
trouble. 15. / will offer unto thee burnt sacrijices of fatlings, with the in-
cense of rams ; I will offer bullocks with goats.
Under the gospel, the obligation of " going to the house of God,"
and there " paying vows," still continues ; but the " offerings" are
changed. The legal sacrifices have been abolished by the oblation
of the body of Christ once for all. This oblation is commemorated
in the eucharist ; at the celebration of which, we now offer up our
prayers and praises, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, a reasonable,
holy, and lively sacrifice, acceptable to God, in the name and through
the merits of the Redeemer. These offerings, if vowed in the sea-
sons of sickness and sorrow, should be paid in the days of health
and gladness.
16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he haih
done for my soul.
Every man should be ready, like David, to celebrate the mercies
29
226 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
of God vouchsafed to him. It is a debt of gratitude to his Saviour^
who is glorified ; and a debt of charity to his brethren, who are edi^
fied thereby ; provided only, that it be done with sobriety and hu~
mility
17. / cried unto him with my irwuth^ and he was extolled with my tongue.
The mean by which we obtain salvation, is faith ; which, as it
showeth us both our disease and our physician, inclineth us to pray
to the latter for a cure of the former. Prayer is one gift of God ;.
and every other gift is obtained by it.
18. If I regard iniquity in my hearty the Lord will not hear me.
The prayer which is " heard," is the prayer of the penitent, heart-
ily grieved and wearied with sin, hating, and longing to be delivered'
from it. For God heareth not hypocrites, who, wliile they outwardly
disavow, yet inwardly "regard" and cherish " iniquity ;" from which
every one who nameth the name of Christ ought to depart.
19. But verily God hath heard me ; he hath attended to the voice of my
prayer.
David was heard, when God delivered him from his enemies, and'
set him on the throne of Israel : Christ was heard, when God raised
him from the dead, and exalted him to the right hand of the Ma-
jesty in the heavens : and every man is heard, when God raises him
from sin to righteousness, as an earnest of his future resurrection
from dust to glory. Let every such man |)raise the Lord, and say,
with David, in the last verse of our Psalm,
20. Blessed be God^ who hath not turned away my prayer^ nor his mercy,'
from me.
PSALM LXVII.
ARGUMENT. — In this evangelical Psalm, the Israelitish church is introduced as-
partly praying for, and partly foretelling the advent of Christ, and the conversion of
the nations, with the joy and gladness that should be consequent thereupon. The
Christian church now uses, and will continue to use, the Psalm with propriety, until'
the fulness of the Gentiles shall be come in, the conversion of the Jews effected,
and Christ shall appear the second time, finally to accomplish the salvation of his
chosen.
1. God he merciful unto us^ and bless us j and cause his face to shine upon
118.
The Israelitish church, by the mouth of the prophet, expresseth
her ardent desire after Messiah's advent, and appearance in the flesh ;
she prayeth that God would be " merciful unto her," as he had prom-
ised ; that, by so doing, he would " bless" her with the blessings of
pardon and peace, of grace and glory ; and, in one word, that he would
"cause his face to shine upon her" by the rising of the Sun of liight-
eousness, making her to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ, reviving her with the glad tidings of the gospel, and enlight^
ening her with the light of salvation.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 227
2. Thai thy way may he known upon earthy thy saving health among all
nations.
Nor was she studious, as her degenerate children have since been,
to confine the favour of heaven within her own pale. If she had a
good wish for herself, she had one likewise for others ; and therefore
prayed, that the " way" to life eternal might be " known," not in
Jewry alone, but over all the " earth " and that the virtues of that
salutary medicine, which was able to restore health and vigour to
the diseased and languishing spirits of men, might be pubhshed
" among all nations."
3. Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee.
As if she had said, Hitherto, indeed, blessed Lord, thou hast
thought fit to make me the guardian and keeper of that great de-
posit, thy true religion, from which the nations revolted, and fell ;
but the time is coming, when by the gospel of thy dear Son,
they shall again be called to the knowledge of thee. Thy glory,
impatient, as it were, of any longer restraint, and demanding a
larger sphere, shall diffuse itself like the light of heaven, to the ends
of the world. Hasten, then, O hasten, the dawning of that happy
day, when congregations of converted Gentiles shall everywhere
lift up their voices, and, perhaps in the words of this very Psalm,
sing to thy praise and glory !
4. O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy ; for thou shall judge the
people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
And a very sufficient cause, surely, is here assigned, why the " na-
tions" should " be glad, and sing for joy" upon the erection of Mes-
siah's kingdom in the midst of them ; namely, because he would
'•judge the people righteously ;" breaking the yoke of the oppressor,
and the iron rod of the prince of this world ; becoming himself aa
advocate in the cause of his church ; introducing her into the glo-
rious liberty of the children of God, whose service is perfect freedom ;
and, with a sceptre, around which justice and mercy are wreathed
together, " governing the nations upon earth."
5. Let the people praise th^e, OGodj lei all the people praise thee. Chorus
repeated, as above, verse 3.
6. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God,
shall bless us.
Then, when that long-expected time shall arrive, " the earth shall
yield her increase ;" the nations of the world shall be converted to the
faith, and become fruitful in every good word aAd work, through
the benediction of heaven upon^them.* ,
7. God shall bless us ; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
The evangelical " blessings," predicted in this Psalm, have been
J __• ,
* UniverssB gentes ad Deum convertentur, et electi abundabunt bonus operibus, re-
jrumque omnium copi&' — Bossuet. ^
228
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
long since poured out upon ^'- the ends of the earth," by the bountiful
hand of God in Christ. Let us beseech him to add yet this to all
his other mercies, that in return for such unmerited favours, the re-
deemed may have grace evermore to pay him the tribute of fear and
obedience, of duty and love.
THIRTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LXVIII.
ARGUMENT. — This beautiful, sublime, and comprehensive, but very difficult Psalm,
is one of those which the church has appointed to be used on Whitsunday. It seems
evidently to have been composed on that festive and joyful occasion, the removal
of the ark to Mount Sion. See 2 Sam. vi. ; 1 Chron. xv.* Under this figure, David,
foreseeing the exaltation of Messiah, speaks of him, whom he describes, 1, 2. as
arising, and vanquishing his enemies ; 3 — 6. as causing the faithful to rejoice, and
showing mercy to the afflicted ; 7 — 15. as bringing his church out of bondage, sup-
porting her in the world by the Word and the Spirit, purging away her corruptions,
and subduing her adversaries; the groundwork being laid in the history of the
Egyptian deliverance, the manna and the law given in the wilderness, and the over-
throw of the Canaanitish nations. 16 — 20. David returns to the scene before him,
celebrates the ascension of Christ with power and great glory, to the heavenly Sion,
and the gifts he should from thence pour down upon men ; 21 — 23. foretels the
vengeance he would take on his opposers ; 24 — 28. sets forth the order of the church
in her services, 29 — 31. predicts the conversion of the nations; all of whom
32 — 35. he exhorts to unite in chanting forth the praises of their God and Saviour.
1. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him^
Jiee before him.
These words were used by Moses, whenever the ark set forward
before the armies of Israel, in their progress toward Canaan. Numb.
X. 35. David, in like manner, uses them in this triumphal hymn,
•n the removal of the ark to the city of Zion. 1 Chron. xiii. and
XV. Dr. Chandler supposes this part of the Psalm, from ver. 1, to
ver. 6, inclusive, to have been sung when the ark was taken up on
the shoulders of the Levites. The church now celebrates, in the
same terms, the substance of the foregoing shadows ; she sings the
praises of her Redeemer, rising from the dead, and preceding the Is-
rael of God to the true land of promise ; when " his enemies," the
powers of darkness, sin, and death, '• were scattered, and they that
* The argument seems to be, a prognostication of success to David and the kingdom
of Israel, and victory over their enemies, in consequence of the manifestation of the
especial presence of God on Mount Sion, and by his power exerted in their favour. In
the mystical sense, which is autUorised by St. Paul, Eph. iv. 8, it is, according lo Vi-
Iringa, " Ascensio Christi in coelos, et sessio ad dextram Patris, et illius effecta, qua
sunt collectio et conservatio ecclesiee, ac destructio hostium sibi et ecclesisB adverso-
rum." Bishop Lowth, in Merrick's Annotations. Dr. Chandler, in his " Critical His-
tory of the Life of David," has given an admirable exposition of the literal, or historical,
sense of this Psalm, and a very ingenious division of it into five parts, founded on the
supposition of its being performed at the removal of the ark. The author has been
greatly assisted, in the ensuing comment, by the Doctor's exposition, and the reader will
find the division of the Psalm inserted.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 229
hated him fled before him." And the Christian, in the hour of temp-
tation, will always find this verse a most powerful and profitable
ejaculation.
2. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away ; as wax melteth before
the fire, so let the loicked perish at the presence of God.
The sudden and utter destruction of the enemies of God, and of
his people, is resembled, first, to the dissipation of " smoke," which,
though it rises from the earth in black and tremendous clouds, is by
the wind presently brought to nothing ; secondly, to the melting of
" wax," which, though to appearance of a firm and solid consistence,
yet, when held to the fire for a few minutes, dissolves, and makes no
more resistance. So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord, within us.
Let our vain imaginations be dispersed before thy Spirit, and our
corruptions melt and die away at the presence of thy light and thy
truth.
3. But let the righteous he glad : let them rejoice before God ; yea, let them
exceedingly rejoice.
A variety of expressions is used in the Hebrew, to denote the fes-
tive "joy" and "dehght" with which the righteous celebrate the
triumphs of their God over his and their enemies under each dispen-
sation respectively. When the heart is full of these sensations, it
has no desire to resort to the world for pleasure.
4. Sing unto God, sing praises unto his name ; extol him that rideth upon
the heavens, by his name Jah, and rejoice before him. f
The prophet exhorts the people of God to magnify, with psalms,
and hymns, and spiritual songs, the eternal and incommunicable
"name" of him "who was, and is, and is to come:" who deriving
being from none, gives it to all ; and who, as Redeemer of his peo-
ple, is exalted above the " heavens," and all the powers therein :
above the gods of the nations ; acknowledged and glorified by saints
and angels ; feared and trembled at by ungodly men, and evil
spirits.*
5. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy
liabitation.
After a description of God's " majesty," the Psalmist proceeds to
make mention of his "mercy" towards the afflicted Israelites, who
had suffered so much in Egypt and in the wilderness. The cause
of the "fatherless and widow" he takes into his own hands. But
never did he do this in so full and extensive a manner, as when, by"
*The idea of ** riding on the heavens," furnished by our translation, is here followed,
because CCD 'z'zr?? in the 33d verse, seems to be exactly parallel. But Bishop
Lowth, Mr. Merrick, and Dr. Chandler, render rTli^3?!2 'z'yb 1^3, " Prepare the way
for him who rideth throug^h the deserts," i.e. who rode upon the cherubim, through the
wilderness ; alluding to the passage of the ark. This construction seems most agiee-
able to the common usage of the words employed in the original. Either way the idea
is truly great and sublime.
230 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
becoming man, he betrothed the church to himself in righteousness,
and became a father to her fatherless children.
6. God setleth the solitary in families ; he hringeth out those which are
bound in chains ; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
The " soHtary," or destitute, in this verse, are the same persons
with the " fatherless and widow," in the foregoing ; those, as Dr.
Chandler observes, whose fathers and families had been destroyed in
Egypt, or fallen in the wilderness ; who, therefore, were left alone,
destitute of help. These God afterwards " made to sit down in fa-
milies," blessed them with a numerous progeny, and the peaceable
enjoyment of domestic felicity. Thus hath since been manifested
the same tender care of heaven, in calling home the wretched out-
casts among the nations, and admitting them into the holy and
happy family of the children of God. Another instance of God's
mercy, mentioned in this verse, is, that he " bringeth out those which
are bound with chains," delivering his people from a spiritual, as he
once did Israel from a temporal bondage. " But the rebellious," the
ungodly and impenitent, "dwell in a dry land," in a spiritual desert,
where no waters of life, of comfort, and salvation flow. Such is the
state of the rebellious .Tews at this day, like that of their murmuring
predecessors in the wilderness. This allusion, says Bishop Lowth,
to the deliverance from the Egyptian bondage, and the destruction
of the murmurers in the desert, brings in, with great ease, the full
subjects of the exodus, in the next verse.
7. O God, when thou went est forth befoi^e thy people ; when thou didst
march through the wilderness : 8. The earth shook, the heavens also dropped
at the presence of God ; even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of Godj
the God of Israel.
This part of the Psalm, from ver. 7, to ver. 14, is the second, in
Dr. Chandler's division. It is supposed to have been sung when the
procession began, and to have lasted till Mount Sion was in view.
The prophet goes back to commemorate the wonders wrought for
Israel, when Jehovah, by his presence in the cloi^dy pillar, conducted
them through the wilderness : when, descending to deUver the law,
he bowed the heavens, and shook the earth, and caused Sinai to
quake from its foundations. The Christian church, singing this
Psalm on the day of Pentecost, commemorates, under these terms
and figures, her redemption from the spiritual Egypt, by the resur-
rection of Jesus, with mighty signs and wonders, and the succeed-
ing delivery of the uew law from Mount Sion, after the descent of
the Holy Spirit ; by which the old Jewish dispensation was shaken
and removed, to make way for one that should last for ever. See
Heb. xii. 18—28.
9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful Heb. a free, liberal, or, gi^aciouSj
rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
As the heavens, at the command of God, rained down manna, &,c.
to strengthen and refresh the well-nigh famished people in the wil-
derness ; so, by the descent of the Spirit from above, bringing with
i
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. * 231
iiim the word of life, the church, in her infant and languid state,
was mightily confirmed and invigorated.
41. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein : thou, O God, hast prepared of
thy goodness for tlie poor. *
In the former verse, the Psalmist tells us, that God hath confirmed,
refreshed, and revived his inheritance, by the plentiful, and as it
were voluntary, showers of bread and flesh, that he rained down
upon them. In these words Dr. Chandler apprehends he speaks of
ihe manner, as well as abundance of the food thus given them ; and
renders the verse thus : ^^'i^, " Thy food," or, " As to (hy food," the
food which thou gavest them, ^^^ ^-^^ " They dwelt in the midst of
it ; thou didst prepare, O God, by thy goodness, for the poor." Thus
the history informs us that the manna covered by the dew "lay
round about the host ;" and that the quails were " let fall by the
camp, about a day's journey on one side, arid a day's journey on the
other, round about the camp." Exod. xvi. 13 ; Numb. xi. 31. This
was literally " dwelling in the midst of the food God had provided
them." By the ministration of the word and sacraments in the
C5hristian church, the true manna, the bread which cometh down,
with the dew of God's blessing, from heaven, is continually fur-
nished, for the nourishment of those who " hunger and thirst after
righteousness." It '• falls round about the camp," and, " as to this
thy food, O God," we, thy favoured people, have the happiness to
^' dwell in the midst of it :" thus " thou hast prepared, of thy good-
ness, for the poor in spirit."
11. TAe Lord gave the ward; great was the company of those that pub'
lished it.
He who supplied his people with food in the wilderness, enabled
them likewise to vanquish the numerous enemies that opposed them
'in their passage through it, the Amalekites, the Amorites, the Midian-
ites, the MoalDites, &c. With respect to all these enemies, " the Lord
gave the word." The Israelites engaged them by his order; see
Numb. xxi. 34 ; xxv. 17 ; and, under his conduct and blessing, ob-
tained the victory over them. When the enemies of man's salva-
tion were vanquished by the resurrection of Christ, and the heathen
nations were to own his power, again "the Lord gave the word." It
was published, at first, by apostles, confessors, and martyrs, and hath
been since published continually, by all the churches, who celebrate
in their services the victories of their Redeemer ; as in old time, pro-
-phets and prophetesses, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Deborah, and others,
with the armies of Israel, sang triumphal songs, on occasion of tem-
vporal, but figurative conquests.
12. Kings with their armies did fee apace : Heb. fled away, fled away :
and she that tarried at home divided the spoil*
When God, by the hand of Moses, and his successor Joshua, led
* Bishop LoWth thinks, with Dr. Hammond, that this verse was the song sung
■''by the choir, mentioned in the verse preceding. Dr. Chandler adds the next verse
to it.
1^32 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
his people through the wilderness, into the land of promise, the kings-;
of Canaan, with their mighty hosts, were discomfited ; and the
women of Israel, who " tarried at home, divided the spoil" of their
vanquished enemies. After the conquest of the Midianites, as Dr.
Chandler observes, God ordered the prey to be divided between them
who went out on tliat expedition, and the rest of the congregation
who continued in their tents. Numb. xxxi. 27. Thus, in the spi-
ritual war, apostles, confessors, and martyrs went out to the battle,
fought and conquered ; while the benefits of the victory extended to
thousands and millions, who, without being exposed to their conflicts
and torments, have enjoyed the fruit of their labours.
13. Though ye have Hen among- the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a
dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.
By " lying among the pots," or in " dust and ashes," is evidently
denoted a state of affliction and wretchedness, like that of Israel in.
Egypt, which was exchanged for one of the utmost dignity and
spendour, in Canaan ; one as different from the former as a caldron
discoloured by smoke and soot, is from the bright and beautiful plu-
mage of an eastern dove, glistering interchangeably, as with silver
and gold. Thus the church of Christ emerged from a state of per-
secution and tribulation, into one of splendour and magnificence.
And such is the change made in the spiritual condition of any man,
when he passes from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious
Uberty of the sons of God ; he is invested with the robe of righteous-
ness, and adorned with the graces of the Spirit of holiness.
14. When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Sal-
mon.
The purport of this difficult verse seems to be, that all was white
as snow, i. e. all was brightness, joy, and festivity about Mount Sal-
mon, -ii^^yi a^cn when the Almighty, fighting for his people Israel^
vanquished their enemies, nD,4n or about that part of the country.
15. The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill, as the hill of
Bashan.
When the ark came in view of Mount Sion, the place of its fixed"
residence for the future, and probably when they began to ascend it,
Dr. Chandler apprehends, this and the two following verses were
sung. And if these words be read with an interrogation, he con-
ceives they will appear suitable to the occasion, and worthy of the
genuine spirit of poetry. "The hill of God," that hill which God
hath chosen to inhabit, " is it the hill of Bashan, the hill with its
craggy eminences, the hill of Bashan?" Bashan may boast of its
proud eminence, its high summits ; but is that the hill where God
will fix his residence? The prophet speaks of Bashan w^ith con-
* My worthy and learned friend, Mr, Parkhurst, in his Hebrew Lexicon, gives the
following account of the word O'^nC'O (derived from n£l3, to put or set anything in
order) — rows of stones " on which the caldrons or pots were placed. Lying among
these denotes the most abject slavery : for this was the place of rest allotted to the
vilest slaves." So our translators render it, in the margin of Ezek. xl. 43. Dr. Chand-
ler adopts the same interpretation of the word.
A COMMENTARY ON THE; PSALMS.
tempt and disdain, in comparison of Sion. And this agrees well
with what immediately follows : —
16. Why leap ye, or, why look ye askance with envy, ye high hills 7 This
is the hill which God desireth to dwell in ; yea, the Lord will abide in it for
ever.
The Psalmist, in commemorating God's former mercies and lov-
ing kindnesses, having been led to mention the towering hills of
Salmon and Bashan, by a masterly transition, suddenly resumes his
original subject, with a beautiful apostrophe to those mountains, let-
ting them i^now, that however proudly they might lift up their
heads above the rest, or, in the language of poetry, " look askance
with envy " on Mount Sion, yet this was the mount which Jehovah
had determined to honour with his special presence ; thither he was
now ascending, with the ark of his strength ; and there, between the
cherubims, in the place prepared for him, he would " dwell for ever f
till the whole dispensation would be at an end, till the ^lory of the
Lord should be revealed in human nature ; till God should be mani-
fest in the flesh, and the true tabernacle and temple should succeed
the typical. After that, the privileges of Sion were transferred to
the Christian church ; she became, and, while the world lasts, will
continue to be, the " hill in which God delighteth to dwell :" she
will therefore be justly entitled to the pre-eminence over all that may
seem to be great and glorious in the world.
17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels,
or, thousands repeated : the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in tht holy place,
or, Sinai is in the sanctuary.
The Psalmist in the preceding verse, had declared Sion to be the
habitation of Jehovah. In this verse is described the majesty and
magnificence of his appearance there, as a mighty conqueror of the
enemies of his people, riding upon the cherubim, as in a triumphal
chariot, with all the host of heaven, as it were, in his retinue. Thus
God descended on Sinai, with the fire, the cloud, and the glory ;
thus he manifested himself when taking possession of " the holy
place" prepared for him in Sion; 2 Chron. v. 13: and in some
such manner we may suppose King Messiah to have entered heaven
at his ascension, when he went up in the clouds, with power and
great glory, and all the attendant spirits joined his train, rejoicing to
minister to their Lord, and increase the pomp and splendour of that
glorious day.
18. JTiou hast ascended on high ; thou hast led captivity captive ; thou
hast received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God
might dwell among them.
When the ark had ascended Mount Sion, and was deposited in
the place assigned for it, the singers are supposed, by Dr. Chandler,
to have proceeded with this part of the Psalm, in which they cele-
brate the ascension of their God and King, by the symbol of his pre-
sence, to the heights of Sion, after havpg subdued their enemies,
and enriched his people with the spoil of the vanquished, and the
30
Q>Y
234 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
gifts of the tributary nations ; of which much was probably em-
ployed in the service of the tabernacle, and afterwards in building
the temple, first designed by David, " that the Lord God might
dwell," and have a fixed permanent habitation among his people.
But this whole transaction, like many others of old, being a figura-
tive one, the apostle, Ephes. iv. 8, has applied the words before us
to our blessed Saviour, (the true ark, on which the glory rested,)
who personally ascended up to ihe highest heavens, " led . captivity
captive," by triumphing over his conquered enemies, and having re-
ceived gifts from his heavenly Father, as the fruits of his victory,
gave them unto men, as was most conducive to the establiskment
of his church, "that the Lord God might dwell among them.
Thou hast ascended on high ?" Thou, O Christ, who didst de-
scend from the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, to the
lower parts of the earth, art again ascended from the lower parts of
the earth, to the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens : " thou
hast led captivity captive;" thou hast conquered the conqueror,
bpund the strong one, redeemed human nature from the grave, and
triumphantly carried it with thee to the throne of God ; " thou hast
received gifts for men, yea for the rebelhous also ;" and, being thus
ascended into thy glory, thou has received of the Father the promise
of the Spirit, with all his gifts and graces, to bestow upon the sons of
men ;* even upon such as heretofore have not only broken thy laws,
but appeared in arms against thee ; j^et of such as these, converted
by the power of thy gospel, wilt thou form and establish a church ;
" that the Lord God may dwell among them ;" that so, of thy
faithful people, gathered from all parts of the world, may be built up
a living temple, " an habitation of God through the Spirit."
19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits ; Heb. carries,
or, supports us: even the God of our salvation. 20. He that is our God, is
ths God of salvation: and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death,
Heb. the goings forth to death, or, of death.
The preceding survey of God's dispensations constraineth the
church to break out into an act of praise, and to bless the preserver
of men, the author of eternal " salvation ;" in whose hands are the
'' goings forth of death ;" in other words, who has " the keys of death
and the grave ;" Rev. i. 18 ; who is possessed of power to confine
and to release, to kill and to make alive.
21. But God shall wound the head of his enemies j and ihe hairy scalp, or,
crown, of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
The meaning is, God shall strike deep, or exhaust the blood of
the head of his enemies, even the hairy crown of him that goes on
in his guilty practices ; where the emphasis consists in the descrip-
* The Psalmist mentions these gifts as received : " Thou hast received gifts for men ;"
the apostle, in his citation, showeth us the end for which they were received ; " He
gave gifts unto men." Or rather, as the best critics have observed, in the Hebrew
idiom, to *' take gifts for another," is the same as to *' give them to another." Thus we
read, 1 Kings iii 24. *' Take me a sword ;" i. e. give, or bring it me. Gen xviii. 5. " I
jseill take a bit of bread ;" i. e. for you, or to give it you ; — " and comfort ye your hearts."
« A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 235
lion of God's enemies, who were such as persevered in their criminal
actions. This verse begins a prediction of that vengeance which
the person, who was " ascended on high," would infaUibly execute
upon his impenitent enemies, and which was shadowed forth in the
destruction of the enemies of Israel, by David, after that the ark of
God was placed upon the hill of Sion. See 2 Sam. viii. The ex-
pressions, " the head," and " the hairy crown," denote the principal
part, the strength, the pride, and the glory of the adversary, which
was to be crushed, according to the original sentence : " He shall
bruise thy head." Gen. iii. 15.
22. The Lord said, 1 will bring again from Bashan ; I will bring my
people again from the depths of the sea: 23. That thy foot may be dipped in
the blood of thine enemies : and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
Abner, in his conference with the elders of Israel, to bring them
over to David's interest, tells them, " The Lord hath spoken of Da-
vid, saying; By the hand of my servant David, I will save my
people Israel, out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand
of all their enemies." 2 Sam. iii. 18. Thus Jehovah had promised
to repeat in Israel, by David, his glorious acts ; to work as signal
victories and deliverances for his people, as he had formerly done in
the field of Bashan, and at the Red Sea ; when they saw their ene-
mies dead at their feet. By the glorious resurrection and triumphant
ascension of King Messiah, by the conquests of the gospel, and the
unparalleled overthrow of its opposers, were these figures realized,
and these shadows changed into substances.
24. They have seen thy goings, or^ marches, in procession, O God ; even the
goings, or, marches, of my God, my King, in, or, into the sanctuary.
When the ark was safely deposited, the sacrifices were offered, the
solemnity well-nigh concluded, and the whole assembly about to re-
turn back, Dr. Chandler supposes the singers to have struck up, and
joined in the remaining part of this noble anthem. These words
contain a sort of triumph, because this great work of translating the
ark was now so happily accomplished. The people of Israel had a
pledge and earnest of those mighty things which God would do for
them, by the joyful and victorious manner in which, with the ark of
his presence, he had taken possession of the place prepared for him
on Mount Sion, and gone " into the sanctuary." A like pledge and
earnest of her future enlargement and exaltation was the ascension
of her Lord and Head to the Christian church.
25. 7^e singers went before, the players on instruments followed after ;
amongst them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
The joy and gladness expressed by David and the house of Israel,
when in solemn procession, with the sound of vocal and instrumen-
tal music, they "brought up the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its
place," 2 Sam. vi. 5, 15, 17, may be considered as a prelude to that
voice of universal exultation with which the Christian church, in
her holy services, doth now celebrate the resurrection and ascension
©f her Redeemer. *
(^ 0
236 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
26. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord,/rom the fountain of
Israel.
" Bless ye God in the congregations ;" in this form of words the
Israelites are supposed, when accompanying the ark, to have reci-
procally exhorted and encouraged each other to exert their utmost
powers in the sacred employment of blessing and thanking God ;
'' even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel :" the " fountain of Is-
rael " is the same with the " stock, or family of Israel." See Isa.
xlviii. 1. The sense of this latter clause therefore is, "Bless the
Lord, ye who are sprung from the stock of Israel ;" thus is the duty
of blessing and thanksgiving enforced on the congregations of the
faithful in all ages.
27. There is lillle Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Jvdah and their
council, the princes of Zebulim, and the pHnces of Naphtali.
The literal rendering of this verse is — " There is little Benjamin
their ruler, the princes of Judah their council, the princes of Zebulun,
and the princes of NaphtaU." In this enumeration of the tribes of
Israel that were present at the removal of the ark, four only are
mentioned ; Benjamin and Judah, who dwelt nearest to the city of
David ; Zebulun and Naphthali, w^ho were the furthest distant from
it ; to show, as Dr. Chandler observes, the unanimity of the whole
nation, and of all the tribes far and near, in attending this solemnity,
to testify their willing acknowledgment of David for their king, and.
the city of David for their capital, where all the great solemnities of
religion should be performed, and their annual festivals continually
celebrated. Benjamin, though the youngest tribe, is named first, and
called " the ruler ;" because from that tribe sprang Saul, the first king
of Israel. The attendance of this tribe showed that all envy and
opposition to David from Saul's party was at an end. Upon David's
accession to the crown, Judah became the royal tribe, and supported
the throne by its counsels. Zebulun and Naphtali were tribes of
eminent learning and knowledge. See Gen. xlix. 21 ; Judg. v. 14»
Thus, after the pubhcation of the gospel, the nations flocked into the
church, both those that were near, and those that were afar off;
power, wisdom, and learning submitted themselves to the kingdom,
and conspired to set forth the glory of Messiah.
28. Thy God hath commanded thy strength : strengthen, O God, that
'which thou hast wrought for u^.
The former part of this verse contains a comfortable assurance
given to the church, that God had made provision, and issued out
orders, for her estabhshment and security. In the latter clause is a
prayer that he would accomphsh all his counsels concerning hef ;
and, as he had begun a good work, so that he would vouchsafe to
perfect it unto the day of the Lord.
29. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem, shall kings bring presents unto
thee.
David foretels, that on the establishment of the then church and
worship in Jerusalem, the kings of the Gentiles should come, and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 23T
make their oblations at the temple* of God ; which happened in his
days, and those of his son Solomon, as an earnest and figure of that
plenary accession of the kings of the earth to the church of Christ,
which was to take place in the latter days, under the gospel. See 2
Sam. viii. 9—11 ; 1 Kings v. 1 ; x. 1, 24 ; 2 Chron. ix. 23 ; Isa.
Ix. 3, 6 ; Matt. ii. 11 ; Rev. xxi. 24.
30. Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of bulls, with the
calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver; scat-
ter thou the people that delight in war.
We have here a prophetical prayer against the enemies of the
Israelitish church. The whole verse, when literally translated, runs
thus : " Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of the
mighty among the calves of the nations, skipping, or exulting, with
pieces of silver ; scatter the people that delight in war." By the
" wild beast of the reeds," is to be understood the Egyptian power,
described by its emblem, (he crocodile, or river-horse, creatures living
among the " reeds" of the Nile. The " calves of the nations" intend
the objects of worship among the Egyptians, their Apis Osiris, &c.
around which the " congregation of the mighty" assembled. And
by their "skipping with," or, "exulting in, pieces of silver," may
either be meant their dancing at their idolatrous festivals with the
tinkling instruments called " sistra," which might be made of " sil-
ver," or else it may imply their " glorying in pieces of silver," or,
" in their riches." The last member of the verse is plain, " Scatter
the people that delight in war." The whole is evidently a prayer of
the prophet to this effect, that it would please God to bring down and
overthrow the strength, the pride, and the idolatry of Egypt, that
ancient adversary and oppressor of Israel.t — The Christian church,
in hke manner, through faith in the power of her Lord, risen from
the dead and ascended into heaven, prayeth for the confusion of her
implacable enemies, who dehght in opposing the kingdom of Mes-
siah.
31. Princes, or, ambassadors, shall come out of Egypt : Ethiopia shall
soon stretch out her hands unto God.
The hostile powers being overthrown, and the church of Israel
*The tabernacle is called bl^'Ti, 1 Sam. iii. 3. This might, otherwise, seem inconsis-
tent with the supposed occasion of the Psalm, and the times of David, when there was
yet no temple there. — Bishop Lowth.
t Increpa regem Egypti populo tuo invidentem, increpa etiam optimates qui inter
populos honore et viribus eminent, argenteis clavis, vel aliis insignibus ornati. Bossuet.
See Bishop Lowth, Praelect. vi. ad. fin. edit. 8vo. The sense of the verse cannot be
better expressed, than it is by Mr. Merrick in his version :
The beast that from his reedy bed,
On Nile's proud banks, uplifts the head,
Rebuke, indignant ; nor the throng
Forget, from whose misguided tongue
The heifer and the grazing steer
The offered vow, unconscious, hear ; '
While to the silvers tinkling sound,
Their feet in solemn dance rebound.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
fully established, the nations around her, even those which had been
most given to idolatry, sued for her friendship, and came to Jerusa-
lem, with their gifts and oblations : as, in like manner, after the de-
feat of Maxentius and Maxiinin, the Roman empire, with all its tri-
butary provinces, was added to the church of Christ.
32. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth : O sing praises unto the Lord*
" Rapt into future times," the prophet exhorteth, not Judea only,
but all " the kingdoms of the earth to unite in chanting forth the
E raises of their God and Saviour." In the fulness of time this ex-
ortation was heard and obeyed. For Eusebius thus describes the
state of the church in the days of Constantine : — " There was one
and the same power of the Holy Spirit, which passed through all the
members ; one soul in all ; the same alacrity of faith ; one common
consent in chanting forth the praises of God." Euseb. Eccles. Hist,
b. X. chap. 2. And it deserves notice, that the primitive Christians,
when, delivered from the rage of persecuting tyrants, they freely ce-
lebrated their holy festivals, could find no words so well calculated to
express the joy and gladness of their hearts, as the songs of Moses
and David, and the prophets, which seemed to have been divinely
penned on purpose for their use, upon that glorious occasion. The
reader may see very curious and beautiful instances of this, in the
opening of the tenth book of Eusebius's History, and in the pane-
gyric there recorded to have been spoken by him, in a full ecclesias-
tical assembly, to Pauhnus, bishop of Tyre, upon the consecration
of that church.
33. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens^ which were of old ; lo,
he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
The praises of the church are sung to him who, after his suffer-
ings here below, reascended to take possession of his ancient throne,
high above all heavens ; who from thence speaketh to the world by
his glorious gospel, mighty and powerful as thunder, in its effects
upon the hearts of men. See Ps. xxix. throughout. The power
of Christ's voice, when he was on earth, appeared by the effects
which followed, when he said, "Young man, arise;" "Lazarus,
come forth ;" " Peace, be still ;" and it will yet further appear,
when " all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of
man, and come forth."
34. Ascribe ye strength unto God ; his excellency is over Israel, and his
strength is in the clouds, Heb. the skies.
God requires his people to ascribe unto him the kingdom, and tne
power, and the glory ; to acknowledge him as the author of life,
health, and salvation, of all they are, and all they have, in nature
and in grace ; to glorify him as the Creator and Governor of the
world, the Redeemer, and Sanctifier of his church.
35. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places : the God of Israel is
he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
The Psalmist here exemplifying the precept laid down in the fore-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 23&
going verse, ascribes to God the glory of his appearance in the sanc-
tuary as the God and king of Israel, terrifying and dismaying his
enemies, comforting and invigorating his people. Such is the pre-
sence of a glorified Saviour, by his Spirit, in the Christian church.
For this, and all other his mercies, she is bound continually to say,
and, by her holy services continually doth she say, blessed be God.
THIRTEENTH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LXIX.
ARGUMENT. — The application of many passagjes in this Psalm to our Lord, made
by himself and his apostles, as well as the appointment of the whole, by the church,
to be used on Good Friday, direct us to consider it as uttered by the Son of God, in
the day of his passion. 1 — 5. He describeth his sufferings undergone for the sins of
men ; 6, 7. prayeth that his disciples may not be offended at the pain and shame of
the cross ;* 8 — 12. relateth the usage he met with at the hands of the Jews ; 13 —
19. maketh his prayer to the Father ; 20, 21. complaineth of his desolate estate, of
the reproach cast upon him, and of the gall and vinegar administered to him ; 22 —
28. foretelleth the judgments of heaven, about to fall upon the Jewish nation ; 29. re-
tunieth to the consideration of his own sorrows, and prayeth for deliverance ; 30,
31. praiseth the Father for the accomplishment of that deliverance ; 32, 33. exhort-
eth all men to come and partake of it, and, 34. the whole creation to join in a chorus
of thanksgiving for it ; 35, 36. predicteth the salvation, edification and perpetuity of
the church.
1. Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul. 2. I sink
in deep mire, where there is no standing : I am come into deep waters, where
the floods overflow me.
The Gospels inform us concerning the constancy and patience of
Christ under his sufferings : the sufferings themselves (those in par-
ticular of his soul) are largely described in the Psalms ; many of
which, and this among the rest, seem to have been indited before-
hand by the Spirit, for his use in the day of trouble. As the head
of the church, he here beseecheth the Father to "save," through
him his mystical body. He compares the sad situation into which
he was brought, to that of a drowning man. The divine displea-
sure, like a stormy tempest, was let loose upon him ; the sins of the
world as deep mire, enclosed and detained him ; whilst all the
waters of affliction went over his head, and penetrated to his vitals.
3. / am weary of my crying^ my throat is dried ; mine eyes fail, while 1
wait for my God.
This verse describes the effects of those supplications which the
Son of God offered up, " with strong crying and tears, in the days
* In confesso est apud Christianos, in Psalmo Ixix. nobis ob oculos poni Christum,
eumque passum. Nos addimus, eumque crucifixum ; quia evangeiistoe Matthaeus, Mar-
cus, et Johannes, comma vigesimum secundum certae circumstantiae crucifixionis Christi
applic&runt — Notatum igitur volumus, Christum in tota sua ad Patrem supplicatione,
(est enim ejusdem argument! cum Ps. xxii.,) describere mortis et calamitatis sua genus,
ut maxime pudendum, et ignominiosum. Item, ad ver. 8, 20, 21. — Christus nullas hie
negligit voces, quae probrum aut ignominian status, in quo tunc erat, designate valeut
Vitringi, Observ. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. 10.
&f
2^ A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
of his flesh ;" Heb. v. 7 ; of that thirst which, through loss of blood
on the cross, " dried his throat ;" and of that long and patient en-
durance, when his " eyes failed," and were closed in darkness,
while his faith " waited " for the deliverance promised by the Fa-
ther. The hour is coming when our eyes must fail, and be closed;
but even then, " let us wait for our God :" in this respect, " let us die
the death of that righteous " person who died for us ; " and let our
last end be Uke his."
4. T%ey that hate me without a cause, are more than the hairs of my head;
they thai would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then
I restored that which I took not av^ay.
The Jews, the Romans, and the spirits of darkness, made up that
multitude of enemies, which, like an herd of evening wolves, sur-
rounded the Lamb of God, thirsting after his blood, nor resting till
they had drawn forth the very last drop of it from his heart. And
thus the only innocent person in the world suffered for all its guilt,
making satisfaction for wrongs which he never did, and " restoring
that which he took not away."*
5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness ; and my sins are not hid from thee.
These words, in the mouth of David, or any other sinful son of
Adam, are plain enough. They may, nevertheless, be spoken, as
the rest of the Psalm is, in the person of Christ, concerning the ini-
quities committed by us, but " laid on him ;" which he therefore
mentions as if they had been his own : the head complaining of
diseases incident only to the members.t
6. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for
my sake; let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of
Israel. 7. Because for thy sake I have borne reproach ; shame hath covered
my face.
The Son of God prefers a petition to the Father that his disciples
may not be scandalized on account of his passion, or be tempted to
relinquish their trust in God, at beholding his only and beloved Son
forsaken on the cross ; since it was not for any demerit of his own,
but for the sake of God's glory, as well as man's salvation, that " he
bore reproach, and shame covered his face." It ought to be the
prayer of every Christian, especially if he be a minister of the gos-
pel, that his sufferings in the world may not give just offence to the
brethren, or the church ; which they never will do, if he suffers in a
good cause, with a good conscience.
8. / am become a stratiger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother^s
* •' Qufe non rapui " — Ex persond. Christi : ita mecum agitur, ac si rapta ab altero,
ab altero, eoqiie iunoxio, repetas ; neque enim impiorum exemplo, Deo rapiii honorem
debitum ; pro eis solvo quicunque rapuerunt ; sicut scriptum est : " Propter sceliis populi
mei, percussi eum." Isa. liii. 8. — Bossnet.
t So this verse is interpreted by the Fathers, and many of the commentators cited
by Poole, in his Synopsis. Thus also Bossuet : — " Insipientiam meam et delicta mea"
— Qu(B in me suscepi. " Quia posuit in eo Dominus iniquitate somnium nostrCim."— •
Isa. liii. 6
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 241
• children. 9. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up ; and the reproaches
of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
The Jews were* Christ's " brethren," according to the flesh. To
them he was a " stranger and an alien." " He came to his own,
and his own received him not." " We know," said they, " that God
spake unto Moses ; but as for this fellow, we know not from whence
he is." And again, " Thou ait a Samaritan, and hast a devil."
John i. 11 ; ix. 29 ; viii. 48. The ground of all this enmity was
the "zeal" of Christ for the reformation and purification of the
church, which he manifested in his reproofs and exhortations, as
also by the emblematical act of driving the buyers and sellers out
of the temple. Upon this latter occasion, the evangelist tells us,
" his disciples remembered that it was written," that is, it was pre-
dicted of Messiah in this Psalm, " The zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up." John ii. 17. Therefore, as he adds immediately,
" the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." In calum-
niating and blaspheming the works of the Son of God, the Jews
reproached both the Father, who gave him those works to do, and
the Spirit, by which he did them : all which reproaches fell on the
man Christ, as the visible instrument employed in the doing of them.
This last passage is thus quoted and apphed by St. Paul : — " Even
Christ pleased not himself: but, as it is written. The reproaches of
them that reproached thee fell on me." Rom. xv. 3. The usage
our Lord met with from his brethren, because of his zeal for the
house of God, should comfort those who meet with the same usage
on the same account.
10. When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my re-
proach. 11. I made sackcloth also my garment ajid I became a proverb to
them. 12. They that sit in the gate speak against me: and I was the song \
of the drunkards.
To expiate the sins of his creatures, the King of glory became a
man of sorrows ; he put on mortal flesh, as a penitential garment :
he fasted, and prayed, and mourned, and wept, and humbled him-
self to the dust, as if he had been the offender, and we the righteous .
persons that needed no repentance. And what return was made
him? " It was to his reproach, and he became a proverb to thenv'
for whom he suffered. " They that sat in the gate," or, on the
" judgment-seat," which used to be in the gates of cities, even the
senators and judges of the land, the chief priests and elders, " spake
against him," with cool and deliberate malice; while he was "the
song of the drunken" and profligate, who more grossly insulted and
derided him. The true followers of the holy Jesus will often expe-
rience the like treatment, from an evil and adulterous generation.
13. But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time:
O God, in the multitude of thy mercies hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
The Son of God himself, in the midst of sorrows and sufferings,
lias recourse to prayer, pleading for his church the " mercies" of the
Father, set forth in the promises, and his " truth," engaged to make
31
Ui
<9& A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
those promises good, in the " salvation" of his chosen, through their
head and representative. The " acceptable time" in which Christ
prayed, was the time when he offered the great propitiatory sacrifice.
Through the merit of that sacrifice it is that we have an " accepta-
ble time, and a day of salvation," allowed us. Behold, now is that
time, behold now is that day ! Let us not delay one moment to use
and improve it aright.
14. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink ; let me be delivered
from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 15. Let not the water-
flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut
her mouth upon me.
Messiah petitions for dehverance from calamities, under the same
images which were employed* at the beginning of the Psalm, to de-
scribe those calamities. The purport of the petition is, that the sins
of the world, and the sufferings due to them, may not finally over-
whelm him, nor the grave "shut her mouth upon him" for ever;
but that the morning of his resurrection may at length succeed the
night of his passion. Such is also the hope and the prayer of the
church, and of the Christian here below.
16. Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving' kindness is good ; turn unto me ac-
cording to the midtitude of thy tender mercies. 17. And hide not thy face
from thy servant, for I am in trouble ; hear me speedily. 18. Draw nigh
unto my soul, and redeem it ; deliver me because of mine enemies. 19. TTiou
hast known my reproach, my shame, and my dishonour : mine adversaries
are all before me.
As afflictions increase, the prayers are redoubled. Christ pleads
with the Father for redemption from death on account of his divine
" loving kindness and mercy ;" of his own great " trouble ;" of his
" enemies," that they might be either converted or confounded ; of
the " reproach, shame, and dishonour," undergone by him, that they
might be wiped off, and done away ; of the wrong he suffered from
his adversaries, whose iniquitous proceedings were " all before God,"
and known unto him. Deliverance from tribulation and persecu-
tion is prayed for by the church, and by her faithful children, upon
the same grounds.
20. Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness : and I
looked lor some to take pity, but there was none ; and for comforters, but I
found none. 21. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink.
The argument urged by Christ, in these most affecting words is,
that in the extremity of his passion, he was left alone, without a
comforter, a friend, or an attendant ; while all that were round about
him studied to infuse every bitter and acrimonious ingredient into
his cup of sorrows. This was literally as well as metaphorically
true, when " they gave him to drink vir>egar mingled with gall."
See Matt, xxvii. 34 ; John xix. 28. Such are the comforts often ad-
ministered by the world to an afflicted and deserted soul.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 243
22. Their table* shall become a snare before them ; and that which should
have been for their welfare, Heb. their peace offerings, shall become a trap.
At this verse beginneth a prediction of those dreadful judgments
which Heaven has since inflicted upon the crucifiers of the Lord of
glory. By their " table becoming a snare, and their peace-offerings
a trap," is pointed out the consequence of the Jews' adhering to the
legal services, in opposition to him who is " the end of the law^, for
righteousness." After his sufferings and exaltation, to continue un-
der the law, became not only unprofitable, but destructive, inasmuch
as it implied a trial of Messiah's advent, and a renunciation of every
evangelical benefit and blessing. The religion of God's own ap-
pointment was an abomination to him, when reduced to the form of t
godliness, deserted by its power. Christians, who pride themselves
in the one, while they deny and deride the other, would do well to
consider this.
23. Thou wilt darken their eyes that they shall not see ; and make their
loins continually to shake.
They w^ho loved darkness rather than light, by the righteous
judgment of God were permitted to walk on in darkness, while the
bHnd led the bUnd. And such still continues to be the state of the
Jews, notwithstanding that intolerable \veight of woe which made
"their loins to shake," and bowed down their backs to the earth.
" The veil remaineth yet upon their hearts," in the reading the Old
Testament ; nor can they see therein " the things which belong unta
their peace." These last two verses are cited, as spoken of Israel,
by St. Paul, Rom. xi. 9, 10. Afflict us, blessed Lord, if thou seest
it good for us to be afflicted ; only take not from us, in our affliction,
the "light" of thy truth, and the "strength" of thy grace.
24. Thou wilt pour out thine indignation upon them, and thy wrathful an-
ger will take hold of them.
Never w^as "indignation so poured out," never did " wrath so take
hold" on any nation as on that which once was, beyond every other,
beloved and favoured. " The wrath," says St. Paul, 1 Thess. ii. 16,
" is come upon them to the utmost," en nXos, " to the end," to the very
last dregs of the cup of fury. Let every church which boasteth of
favours bestowed, and privileges conferred upon her, remember the
consequences of their being abused by Jerusalem ; and let every in-
dividual do the same.
* I have taken the liberty to give a future renderingr to the verbs in this and the following
verses. That they are to be so understood* saith Dr. Hammond, i.e. in the future sense, by
way of prediction, and not as an imprecation, see S. Augf. de Civ. 1. xvii. c. 19. *' Hsec
non optando sunt dicta, sed optandi specie, prophetando. — These things are not said by the
way of wishing, but under the show or scene of wishing by prophecy." And indeed, the
Hebrew "^n"' is in the future, and is most fitly rendered, " shall be." And so doth the
Jewish Arab interpreter observe, that such seeming imprecations as here and elsewhere
occur in this book of Psalms are not so much by way of imprecation, as by way of
prophecy or prediction of what in God's best judgments would certainly befall man —
Ham. in loc.
fcY
244 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
25. Their hahitation shall he desolate^ and none shall dwell in their tents.
Our Lord seems to have had this passage in his view, when he
said to the Jews, " Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
Matt, xxiii. 38. Jerusalem was by the Roman armies destroyed
from the foundations. It hath been since, indeed, rebuilt, and in-
habited by Gentiles, by Christians, and by Saracens, but no more by
the Jewish people. It is remarkable, that this verse is apphed. Acts
i. 20, to Judas, considered as the head and representative of that
apostate nation which rejected and delivered up its Prince and Sa-
viour to be crucified. " He was guide to them that took Jesus."
Acts i. 16. The punishment therefore, as well as the sin of Israel,
is portrayed in his person, and the same prophecy is applicable to
him and to his countrymen.*
26. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten^ and they talk to the
grief of those whom thou hast wounded.]
The cause of the foregoing calamities inflicted on the Jews, is
here assigned, namely, that instead of mourning and sympathizing
with Messiah, in the day when Jehovah laid on him the iniquities
of us all, and afflicted him for our sakes, they, by reproaches and
blasphemies, aggravated his sufferings to the uttermost : and after-
wards continued to use his disciples in the same manner. It were
to be wished, that the sorrows of the penitent, when wounded with
a sense of sin, never subjected him to the scorn and contempt of
those who would be thought Christians.
27. T%ou wilt add iniquity to their iniquity ; and they shall not come into
thy righteousness.
As they added affliction to the afflictions of Christ, so God permit-
ted! them to go on, Winded and deserted, in their wickedness, " ad-
dling sin to sin," filling up the measure of their fathers, still obsti-
nately refusing to come into the church, and partake of the " righte-
ousness" which is by faith. From all thy judgments, good Lord,
deliver us ; but, above all, from that which punishes one sin with
another, and seals up the reprobate to destruction.
28. They shall be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written
with the righteous.
By " the book of the living," in which the names of the " right-
eous are written," is to be understood the register of the true ser-
vants and worshipers of God, of those who are "justified," or made
^' righteous," through faith. In this register the names of Abraham,
* " Fiat habitatio eorum deserta" — De Juda proditore exponiture, Act. i. 20. Con-
gTuit etiam Judaeis, eversa Hierosolyma, quod Christus preedixerat : " Ecce relinqueter
vobis domus vestra deserta." Luc. xiii. 35. — Bossuet.
t Datur his in verbis ratio longe maxima et gravissima, propter quam Judaei terra sua
essent ejiciendi, ac nomine et prerogativis populi Dei privandi, qui nimirum " eum per-
eequuntur," quern a '* Deo percussum" vident, hoc est, quern vident ira Divina max-
imopere pressum, et ad summa ainnoviav redactum. Vitringi, Observat Sacr. lib. iL
cap. 9.
X Deserendo, et permittendo, non operando ; ut Thcologi n6runt. — Bossuet
^ A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 245
Isaac, and Jacob, the ancient fathers of the Israehtish race, with
their true children, stand recorded ; but the degenerate and apostate
Jews have been long since " blotted out ;" they are no longer the
peculium of heaven ; nor have they any part or portion in the in-
heritance of the sons of God. Thus Ezekiel : " They shall not be
in the assembly of my people, nor shall they be written in the writ-
ing of the house of Israel." xiii. 9. And our Lord, in his conver-
sations with the Jews, took every opportunity to tell them that they,
for their unbelief, should be " cast out," and that the Gentiles, obey-
ing the call of the gospel, should come from all quarters of the
world, and " sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of God."
29. But I am 'poor and sorrowful : let thy saving health, O Godj or, thy
salvation shall, or, can, set me up on high.
Messiah returns to the subject of his own sufferings, which were
not a little enhanced by the consideration that so many of his peo-
ple would not be the better for them. "I am poor and sorrowful;"
" poor," for he was divested of his very garments ; " sorrowful," for
he was covered over with stripes and wounds. But he knew the hour
was coming, when the salvation of God would raise him from the
dead, and " set him up on high." Thus should a disciple of Jesus
depart out of the world, joyfully relinquishing its goods, patiently
bearing its evils, and confidently expecting a resurrection to glory.
30. / will praise the name of God with a song and magnify him with
thanksgiving.
Here, as in the twenty-second and many other Psalms, the
scene changes from sorrow to joy ; from a state of suffering to one
of triumph ; from the passion to the resurrection. Jesus, risen from
the dead, declares his resolution of praising and magnifying the Fa-
ther for the salvation of the world, happily accomplished by his
labours and sufferings, which were now for ever at an end. The
church does the same incessantly, on earth and in heaven.
31. This also shall please the Lord, better than an ox or bullock that hoik
horns and hoofs.
A bullock was in its prime for sacrifice, under the law, when it
began to put forth its " horns and hoofs." The infinite distance
therefore, in point of value, between the best legal sacrifices and
those of obedience, love, and praise, as offered by Christ, and,
through him, by his church, under the gospel, is pointed out in this
verse. See Psalm xl. 6, &c. I. 23.
32. TTie humble shall see this, and be glad : and your heart shall live that
seek God: or, be seeking God, and your heart shall live.
It is foretold, that the " humble," or the "poor in spirit," i. e. the
meek and lowly followers of the holy Jesus, should find everlasting
joy and comfort in the glad tidings of salvation ; all mankind are
246 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. <^
exhorted to " seek after God," as manifested in the gospel of his
Son ; and the reward promised is " hfe spiritual and eternal." *
33. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
An argument for our " seeking after God," is the experience of
patriarchs, prophets, and saints, who in all ages have sought and
found him, by repentance and faith ; and that the Lord " despiseth
not his prisoners," is evident from what he did and suffered, to de-
liver their souls from the bondage of sin, their bodies from the prison
of the grave, and both from the dungeon of hell. Therefore,
34. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas and every thing that
moveth therein.
The mercies of God in Christ are such, that they cannot worthily
be praised by any thing less than an universal chorus of the whole
old and new creation ; and what should such a chorus celebrate,
but those mercies by which all things have been made, preserved,
and redeemed ?
35. For God will save Sion, and. build the cities of Judah, that they, 1. e,
men, may dwell there, and have it in possession.
The salvation and edification of the church, followed the passion
and resurrection of Christ. " God will save Sion," that is, the
church, which at first consisted of the apostles, who were Jews, and
others of that nation by them converted to the faith. "i\nd build
the cities of Judah," or cause churches to arise in all the world, which
shall from thenceforth take the names, and inherit the privileges,
of '• Israel and Judah ; that men," even such as God shall call from
among the nations, " may dwell there," as citizens of the new Jeru-
salem, " and," instead of the rejected Jews, " have it in their pos-
session."
36. The seed also of his servants shall inherit it, and they that love his
name shall dwell therein.
The continuation of the church in the posterity of the faithful is
here predicted. Accordingly, the descendants of the proselyted
Gentiles have been in possession of the gospel privileges for above
1700 years. And thus it will be, while they abide in the faith and
" love the name " of Jesus. Should the Gentiles apostatize as the
Jews did, and the Jews be converted as the Gentiles were, then the
gospel would go from the Gentiles to the Jews, as before it went from
the Jews to the Gentiles ; then would there '• come out of Sion the
Deliverer, to turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Rom. xi. 26.
PSALM LXX.
The words of this Psalm occur, without any material variations, in Ps. xl. verse 13, to
the end. The reader is therefore referred thither for the exposition ; as before, in the
case of the fifty-third and fourteenth Psalms.
* HfiBC et sequentia ad redemtionem per Christum, sub figurd, solutse captivitatis, vi-
dentur pertinere. — Bossuet
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 24Z'
FOURTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXI.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, sorely distressed in his old age (see ver. 9, and 18) by
the rebellion of Absalom, which was his great affliction at that period of life, ver. 1.
prayeth for divine assistance ; pleading, 2. God's righteousness ; 3. and promise ; 4.
the iniquity of his persecutors ; 5, 6. the mercies vouchsafed him from his birth ;
7, 8. his being deserted and given up by man ; 9. his old age ; 10, 11. the taunts and
insults of his adversaries ; 12. he repeateth his request ; 13. prophesieth the downfall
of his enemies; declareth, 14. his hope, 15. his gratitude, 16. his faith; 17, 18.
wisheth to be preserved, that he might show forth the power and glory of God,
whose righteousness and marvellous acts, 19. he extolleth, and thence, 20, 21. pro-
miseth himself a final redemption from all his troubles, and a restoration to honour
and comfort ; when, 22 — 24. he shall sing and speak the praises of the Lord.
1. In thee^ O Lord, do I put my trust ; let me never be put to confusion.
The promises of salvation are made to those who, renouncing all
confidence in the world and themselves, "trust" in God alone for it.
For this reason the Psalmist so often begins his prayer with a de-
claration of his " faith," which is to the soul in afliiction, what an
anchor is to a ship in distress.
2. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause tne to escape : incline thine
ear unto me, and save me.
A second argument here used is the "righteousness" of God, who
cannot but be faithful and just to his own gracious word. By that
word, he had engaged to establish the temporal throne of David, and
the eternal throne of the Son of David. And, by the same word, he
has engaged to bring those who believe in him, through sufferings,
to glory.
3. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort : thou
hast given commandment to save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress.
The protection of the Almighty, to which the troubled soul " re-
sorts" by faith and prayer, is compared to that which a well-fortified
castle, or town, affords to those within it in time of war. And the
plea, upon which this petition is enforced, is in a manner the same
with the former, namely, the declared purpose of God to be the
Saviour of his servants : " Thou hast given commandment to save
me."
4. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of
the unrighteous and cruel man.
The divine assistance is implored by the Psalmist, thirdly, on the
foot of the goodness of his cause, and the iniquity of his enemies.
Such were Absalom, Ahithophel, &c. to David ; Judas and the Jews
to Christ ; and such are the world, the flesh, and the devil to the
Christian. Against them he is to pray and fight continually ; ever
remembering that wickedness is at least as dangerous when it
tempts as when it persecutes; and can smile, as well as frown, a
man dead.
248 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
5. For thou art my hope, O Lord God; thou art my trust from my youth,..
6. By thee have I been holden up from the womb : thou art he t/iat took me out
of my mother'' s bowels : my praise shall be continually of thee.
Former mercies are m'ged, as a fifth motive, for the divine good-
ness to continue those mercies. The watchful care of heaven over
us, at an age when we are able to take no care of ourselves, deserves
consideration. The love of Jesus, shown in passino^ through a state
of childhood for us, deserves a still more deep and devout consider-
ation.
7. / am as a wonder unto many ; but thou art my strong refuge.
David, banished from his kingdom, was regarded as a " wonder,"
or a prodigy of wretchedness ; Christ, in his state of humihation
upon earth, was a " sign," everywhere " spoken against," as Simeon
foretold he would be ; Luke ii. .34. The Christian, who lives by
faith, who quits possession for reversion, and who chooses to suffer
with his Saviour here, that he may reign with him hereafter, ap-
pears to the men of the world as a monster of folly and enthusiasm. .
But God is the " strong refuge" of all such.
8. Let my month be filled with thy praise, and with thy honour, all the day.
Whatever men say or think of him, the royal prophet desires still
to strengthen, and to dehght himself in doing the will, singing the
praises, and setting forth the glory of God. Such likewise was thy
desire, O blessed Jesus ! in the days of thy flesh. Ever grant that
it may be ours.
9. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength-
faileth.
David, mindful of the noble actions which, through God's assis-
tance, he had achieved in his youth, beseeches him not to desert his
servant, when persecuted by a rebellious son, in his old age. The
weakness and temptations pecuhar to that time of life, render this a
petition necessary for us all to make, before we are overtaken by it.
The church findeth but too much occasion to make the same now
that she is sunk in years ; when faith languisheth, charity waxeth
cold, and the infirmites of a spiritual old age are coming fast upon
her.
10. For mine enemies speak against me ; and, they that lay wait for my souly
take counsel together, 11. Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take
him, for there is none to deliver him.
They who saw David ascending Mount Olivet in tears, when
Absalom had driven him from Jerusalem, and they who beheld Je-
sus led forth out of the same Jerusalem, to be crucified on Mount
Calvary, were tempted to regard both the one and the other as
finally deserted by God. They who view the church, or any mem-
ber thereof, under affliction and persecution, are too frequently
tempted to think the same, and to act accordingly ; though they are
so plainly taught the contrary, by the restoration of the king of Is-
rael, and the resurrection of the Son of God.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 249
12. O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste to help. 13. Let
them, or, they shall be confounded and consumed that are against my soul ;
let them or, they shall, be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my
hurt.
As the insolence of his persecutors increaseth, th^ distressed mon-
arch crieth more earnestly unto God ; and is so far from relinquish-
ing his hope, that, in the midst of his sorrows, he forseeth and fore-
telleth he final confusion of his enemies. The Christian, who has
faith in the promises, may do hkewise, in the worst of times, and the
worst of circumstances. For the day cometh when all the workers
of wickedness shall be destroyed, and " death and hell shall be cast
into the lake of fire." Rev. xx. 14.
14. But I will hope continually, and icill yet praise thee more and more^
15. My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day
long : for I know not the numbers thereof.
As there is no end to the loving kindness of Jehovah, there should
be none to our gratitude. The " hope" of a Christian "giveth songs
in the night," and enableth him to be thankful, even in the dark
season of affliction. Paul and Silas not only prayed, but also "sang-
praises to God, in a prison, at midnight." Acts xvi. 25.
16. / icill go in the strength of the Lord God : / will make mention of thy
righteous7iess, even of thine only.
He who goeth to the battle against his spiritual enemies, should
go, confiding not in his own " strength," but in that of the Lord
God ; not in his own " righteousness," but in that of his Redeemer.
Such an one engageth with omnipotence on his side, and cannot but
be victorious.
17. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth; and hitherto have I de-
clared thy wondrous works. 18. Now also when I am old and gray-headed^
O God, forsake me not : until I have showed thy strength unto this genera-
tion^ and thy power to every one that is to come.
It was the God of Israel who " taught" David, as a warrior, to
conquer, and, as a Psalmist, to " declare the wondrous works" of his
great benefactor. He requests to be preserved in his old age, until,
by completing his victories, and his Psalms composed to celebrate
them, he had " showed the strength and power of God," not only to
the men of the "generation" in which he Hved, but also to "every
one that should come," or arise in after-times, and chant those divine
hymns in the assemblies of the faithful, throughout all ages. Doth
St. Paul wish to have his hfe continued upon earth ? — it is only that
he may edify the church, and glorify God. Otherwise, it is far "bet-
ter," says he, " to depart, and to be with Christ."
19. Thy righteousness, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O
God, who is like unto, thee !
What a force is now added to these words, by the actual exalta-
tion of the riofhteous Saviour " very high" above all heavens, and by
the " great things" which he hath " done" for souls ! Let us think
on these things, and we shall most affectionately say, with Davi(J|;
32
260 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
*' O God, who is like unto thee !" Delightful is thy love, O Lord
Jesu, beyond all pleasure, more precious than much fine gold, and
honourable above the thrones of the mighty ! The world languish-
eth and fadeth aw^ay at thy presence, whose beauty is immortal,
whose treasures diminish not, and whose glory endureth through the
unnumbered ages of eternity.
20. Thou which hast shmoed me great and sore trouble, shalt quicken Trie
again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21. Thou
shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
In David, delivered out of his troubles, and restored to his throne,
we behold our Lord, after his "great and sore trouble," literally
" quickened," or revived, " brought up again from the depths of the
€arth, increased in greatness, and comforted on every side." In him
we were virtually, by his grace we are actually, raised from sin and
•sorrow, to righteousness and comfort; and through his power we
shall be raised, fiom dust and corruption, to glory and immortaHty.
22. / will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God :
unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel ! 23. My lips
shall greatly rejoice^ when I sing unto thee : and my sold, which thou hast re-
deemed. 24. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long;
Jbr they are corfounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
The truth of God, in accomplishing his promises, by the redemp-
tion of our souls, and the confusion of our spiritual enemies, is a
subject which demands a never-ceasing tribute of gratitude and love,
of praise and thanksgiving. To celebrate it aright, with the melody
of instruments, voices, and affections, all in perfect concord, is the
<iuty and delight of the church militant ; which, when thus employed,
affords the best resemblance of the church triumphant.
PSALM LXXII.
ARGUMENT. — David, praying for Solomon, foretelleth his peaceful and glorious
reign, and under that figure, in most lively and beautiful colours, portrayeth the
kingdom of Messiah ; 1 — 4. its righteous administration ; 5. its duration ; 6, 7. its
blessings ; 8. its extent ; 9 — 11. the accession of the Gentiles to it ; 12 — 14. the re-
demption to be wrought, and, 15. the prayers and praises to be offered up in it ; 16.
its miraculous increase and fruitfulness ; 17. its perpetuity and universality; 18, 19.
a doxology sung to God for it.
1. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the
king's son.'* 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor
with judgment.
In this prophetical prayer, the aged monarch of Israel, about to
resign the kingdom into the hands of his son Solomon, makes unto
God the request of a wise father for him. He asks such a portion
of wisdom and integrity from above, as might enable the young
* The " king," and the " king's son," are the same person ; a character that belongs
to none so properly as to Solomon, who was the first prince that was at the same time
•""kiag," and " son of a king." — Mudge. Dr. Chandler is of the same opinion.
A. COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 281-
prince to govern aright the people of God, and to exhibit to the world
a fair resemblance of that King of Israel, who was, in the fulness of
time, to sit upon " the throne of his father David ;" Luke i. 32, " to
reign in righteousness ;" Isa. xxxii. 1, and " to have all judgment
committed unto him ;" John v. ^2.
3. 7%e mountains shall bring, or, bear, peace to the people, and the little
hills, in, or, by, righteousness.
In other words, peace, manifested by its consequence, plenteous-
ness, shall be upon all the mountains and Utile hills of Judea, by
means of that righteous judgment which Solomon will execute in
the land. And thus in the days of Messiah, " Beautiful upon the
mountains were the feet of them that brought the glad tidings of
peace ;" which the fruits of the Spirit, in the churches, plainly
showed to have been derived from above, through the righteousness
of the Redeemer, producing " peace on earth."
4. He shall judge the poor of the people : he shall save the children of the
needy ; and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
It is the part of justice, in well-ordered governments, to see that
the " poor and needy have right ;" to break the teeth of " oppres-
sion," and pluck indigence from its devouring jaws. This Christ
performed, when, having undertaken the cause of his people against
the adversary, he "saved" them by his resurrection, and "broke
in pieces " the power of the great oppressor.
5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all
generations.
The kingdom of Solomon continued, in his own person, only for
forty years ; but in his seed, that is, Christ, it is established through-
out all generations. He reigneth " over the house of Jacob for ever,
and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke i. 33. His do-
minion over the world by his providence, and in the church Iff the
influences of his grace, is to be coeval with that of the celestial lumi-
naries in nature. And when the " moon shall be confounded, and
the sun ashamed," when the heavens shall be dissolved, and the
earth burnt up, " the Lord of hosts shall reign on Mount Zion," in
the Jerusalem above, in glory everlasting. See Isa. xxiv. 23.
6. He shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass : as showers that
water the earth.
Refreshing and salutary, as the drops of heaven, to the shorn and
parched grass, is the mild administration of a wise and pious prince
to his subjects. And what image can convey a better idea of those
most beneficial and blessed effects which followed the descent of the
Son of God upon the earth, and that of the Spirit, at the day of Pen-
tecost l The prophets abound with descriptions of those great events,
couched in terms borrowed from the philosophy of rain and dew.
See Isa. xhv. 3 ; Iv. 10 ; Hos. xiv. 5 ; Heb. vi. 7. In the last words
of David, the reign of Messiah is described under this figure : " He
shall be as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shin
252 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
ing after rain." I cannot help subjoining Bishop Sherlock's master-
ly illustration of this passage : — " There cannot be a more lively
image of a flourishing condition, than what is conveyed to us in
these words. The grass, which is forced by the heat of the sun, be-
fore the ground is well prepared by rains, is weak and languid, and
of a faint complexion ; but when clear shining succeeds the gentle
showers of spring, the field puts forth its best strength, and is more
beautifully arrayed than even Solomon in all his glory." Disc. vol.
V. p. 89.
7. In his days shall the rightecyus Jlourish ; and abundance of peace, so
long as the moon endureth.
By means of rain and dew, the grass springeth out of the ground.
In the kingdom of Solomon, through the influences of his wis-
dom, good men were encouraged, righteousness flourished, and the
land enjoyed tranquilUty. In the days of Messiah, the fruit of the
Spirit of righteousness, and the fruit of righteousness, was " abun-
dance of peace." He was the true " Melchisedek," or '' King of
righteousness," and therefore the true Solomon, the "King of
Salem, the Prince of peace." And his peace is to endure when the
moon shall have ceased to vary her appearances, and when a period
shall be put to all sublunary vicissitudes.
8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto
the ends of the earth, or, land.
As applicable to the kingdom of Solomon, this verse describes the
extent and limits of the promised " land ;" if it be interpreted of the
wide-extended empire of Christ, that empire knows no bounds, but
those of the " earth " itself. The Hebrew word ^^nix is often used for
both, as the dominion of Solomon represented that of a greater than
Solomon, both are comprehended in the same words. And it is ob-
servaTlle, that when the prophet Zechariah foretells the advent of
"the King of Sion," in great humility "meek, and riding on an
ass," he describes the extent of his kingdom in these words, " His
dominion shall be even from sea to sea, and from the river even to
the ends of the earth." Zech. ix. 9, 10.
9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him: and his ene-
mies shall lick the dust.
Distant nations submitted themselves to the sceptre, and prostrated
themselves before the throne of Solomon, foreshowing the conver-
sion of the Heathen world (in the figurative language of prophecy,
frequently styled, " the wilderness") to the Gospel, and the lowly
adoration to be made by penitent sinners, at the footstool of the
King of glory. They who take not advantage of the day of grace,
will feel the rod of his power in the day of vengeance, when his
" enemies " shall be subjected to him ; when death himself shall be
destroyed ; and " dust shall be the serpent's meat." Isa. Ixv. 25 ;
Gen. iii. 14.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. The kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, shall bring- presents : the kings
of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
This verse suggesteth to oUr meditation several curious and inter-
esting particulars, all tending to one and the same end. As, 1. The
munificent presents and immense treasures brought to Solomon
from Tarshish, and the isles of the Gentiles. 1 Kings, x. 22, <fcc.
2. The coming of the queen of Sheba from the south, with her
gifts and acknowledgments to Jerusalem. 3. The offerings made
by the eastern magi, as the first fruits of the Gentiles, to the Saviour
of the world. And, lastly, the accession of the nations to the faith,
(even these " isles of the Gentiles,") bringing their glory and honour
into the city of God. See Isa. xhx. Ix. Rev. xxi. 24.
11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him.
It is said, 2 Chron. ix. that " all the kings of the earth sought the
presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom ;" that he reigned over all
the kings, from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and
the border of Egypt ; and that they brought unto him horses out of
Egypt, and out of all lands. The dominion of Christ is universal ;
and it will appear to be so at the last day ; when, before men and.
angels, he shall prove his claim to the title, " King of kings, and
Lord of lords."
12. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth : the poor also, and him
tJmt hath no helper. 13. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save
the souls of the needy. 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and mo-
lence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
These three verses, considered as describing the just and merciful
administration of Solomon, need no expoSiion. As prophetical of
Messiah's reign, they may be thus connected with the context, and
paraphrased — The kings and the nations of the earth shall accede
to the church of Christ, induced so to do by the fame of his mercy,
no less than by that of his majesty. They shall hear of the great
deliverance wrought by him for the poor in spirit, who make their
prayer unto him, confessing their sins, and acknowledging the ina-
bility of any creature, in heaven or earth, to recover them from their
lost estate. These he shall spare and pardon, and save from sin,
and from death, and from hell. He shall, for this purpose, break the
snares and destroy the power of their great oppressor, the devil ; and
so dear shall their blood be in his sight, that he shall shed his own
for it ; after which, arising to a new and immortal life, he shall ac-
comphsh the eternal redemption of his servants.
15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold, of Sheba ;
prayer also shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be praised.
As Solomon's reign was long and prosperous, that of Messiah is
everlasting and glorious : as the rich brought presents to the one ;
so the nations offered up themselves, their possessions, their souls
and their bodies, to the otner : as the former was continually " prayed
for," and blessed by his subjects, who owed peace and plenteousness
to his government ; so, with regard to the latter, prayer is made ever
^1884 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in the church, for the increase and consummation of his kingdom ;
and " daily is he praised," by his people, for all the riches of giace,
for all the comforts of the Spirit, and for all the hopes of glory, which
they possess, and enjoy, through him.
16. TTiere shall he an handful of com in the earth, upon the top of the
mountains ; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon : and they of the city
shall flourish like grass of the earth.
It is here foretold, that in the days of Solomon, wonderful shall
be the fruitfulness of Judea ; of the country in corn, by which the
city is supported ; and of the city in people, who, by their numbers,
constitute the strength of the king. The fruitfulness of the country
was to be so great, that from an " handful of corn," and that sown
on the most barren spot, the " top of a mountain" should issue a
produce, the ears of which would " shake" and wave in the winds,
like the woods of " Lebanon ;" while in the city a fresh progeny of
Israehtes was still springing up, and advancing to maturity, like the
unnumbered blades of grass, in a field w^hich the Lord hath blessed.
See 1 Kings iv. 20, (fee. Such, under the reign of King Messiah,
was the amazing increase of the " word," when sown in hearts bar-
ren before ; such the astonishing multiplication of citizens in the
Christian church : as it is written. Acts, vi. 7: "And the word of
God increased ; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jeru-
salem greatly." So let it be, blessed Lord, wheresoever thy gospel
is preached, throughout the world.
17. Hi^s name shall endure for ever ; his name shall be continued, Heb.
propagated, as long as the sun : and men shall be blessed in him ; all nations
shall call him blessed. 4
The person and kingdom of Solomon have been used all along^
as a channel, through which to convey a most illustrious prophecy
concerning those of Christ. But here the type seems to be wholly
absorbed in the great antitype. His "name," his saving name,
" shall indeed endure for ever, propagated," with the faith, through
all the generations of men, while the " sun," another of his represent-
atives, shall continue to maintain his station in the heavens, and to
diffuse his light upon the earth. In him, as it was promised to Abra-
ham, shall all the true children of Abraham be " blessed" with the
blessings of eternity ; " all, nations shall call him blessed," as they
are taught to do in the remaining verses of this exalted composition.
18. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous
things. 19. And blessed be his glorious name for ever : and let the whole
earth be filed with Jiis glory ; Amen, and Am£n.
Blessed, therefore, be thou, O Lord Jesu ! for thou art the Lord
God, even the God of Israel, who hast wrought such miracles of
mercy, for the salvation of the church : and blessed, by the tongues
of men and angels, be thy holy and glorious name ; and let the
whole earth be filled with the amazingly transcendent and incon-
ceivable majesty of thy most excellent glory, for evermore ! So be
it, so be it.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 265
FOURTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER,
PSALM LXXIII.
ARGUMENT. — The person speaking in this Psalm relates, 1 — 3, the process of a
temptation, occasioned by beholding the prosperity oC wicked men upon earth, which
he describes, 4 — 11. with, 12 — 14. the suggestions of nature on the occasion; but,
in opposition to these, grace urges, 15. the examples of saints, 16. the difficulty of
judging concerning God's dispensations, and, above all, 17 — 20. the final issue
of things at the last day, and the end of that prosperity, which had exciteth his
envy. Perfectly satisfied with these considerations, 21, 22. he owns his uneasiness to
have sprung from his ignorance ; and, 23 — 28. closes the Psalm with the most af-
fectionate expressions of his full trust and confidence in the divine mercy and good-
ness. No temptation is more common, or more formidable, than that above men-
tioned. A more powerful and effectual antidote to it cannot be devised than this
most instructive and beautiful Psalm affords.
1. TYuXy God is good to Israel^ even to such as are of a clean heart.
This declaration seems to be the result of a long- struggle in the
mind of the Psalmist, between nature and grace, in which the latter
proves victorious, and, notwithstanding all appearances to the con-
trary, determines, against the suggestions of the former, that God is
the same good and merciful God to his church and people, if they
do but preserve inviolable their fidelity to him whether in this world
they enjoy j)rosperity, or endure affliction.
2. But as for me, my feet were almost gone : my steps had well nigh slipt.
3. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Temptations impede the progress of the Christian in the way of
righteousness, and inline him to fall ; as it happens to one who
walks in a slippery path. The temptation here complained of is
that excited by seeing \vealth and honour in the hands of infidelity
and villany, while the faithful servants of God are covered with in-
famy, and oppressed by poverty. A prospect of this sort is apt to
make us distrust the love of heaven towards us, and its providence
over us. For our benefit, therefore, in the course of this Psalm, the
disease is particularized, and the remedy prescribed.
4. For there are no bands, or, pangs, in their death ; hut their strength is
firm.
Health and strength are to be reckoned among those temporal
blessings which the long-suffering of God sometimes permits the un-
godly to enjoy. And accordingly we find men of that cast, who live
without sickness, and die in a manner without pain : while others,
of a contrary character, are woin with chronical, or racked with
acute disorders, which bring them with sorrow and torment to the
grave.
5. 77?(?y are not in trouble as other men : neither are they plagued like
other men.
Calamities which overwhelm the small concerns of the poor right-
eous man, approach not the borders of the wealthy sinner. Far from
f556 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
poverty, as free from disease, he seems to pass his days exempted
from the miseries of mankind, without labour or anxiety ; and not
so much as to think of those who, distressed on all sides, can scarcely
earn their bread by the sweat of their brows. See this sentiment
beautifully dilated. Job, xxi. See also Jer. xii. 1.
6. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain ; violence covereth
them as a garment.
Among men who have not the love of God in their hearts, or his
fear before their eyes, pride and oppression are the offspring of worldly
prosperity. The daughters attend the mother wherever she goeth,
and show themselves openly without reserve : " pride compasseth
them about as a chain ;" they wear it for an ornament about their
necks, as gold chains, collars, or necklaces were worn ; see Cant,
iv. 9 ; discovering it by their stately carriage ; see Isa. iii. 15. " Vio-
lence covereth them as a garment ;" it appeareth outwardly in all
they say or do, and engrosseth the whole man ; they are, as the
English phrase is, " made up of it."
7. Their eyes stand out with fatness : they have 'more than heart could
wish.
" A man may be known by his looks," saith the son of Sirach,
Ecclus. xix. 29. The choleric, the lascivious, the melancholy, the
cunning, (fee. <fec. frequently bear their tempers and ruling passions
strongly marked on their countenances : but more especially doth
the soul of man look forth at his " eyes." The " pride" of the un-
godly, occasioned by great and unexpected success in the world,
hardly ever fails to betray itself in this way. ^
8. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression : they speak
loftily.
Prosperity, in an irreligious heart, breeds "corruption," which from
thence is emitted by the breath in conversation, to infect and taint
the minds of others. A circle of fawning dependants is never want-
ing, to whom the poor, vain, and ignorant wretch, exalted in his
own conceit above the level of mortality, may, from the chair, with-
out control, dictate Ubertinism and infidelity, bidding defiance to the
laws of God and man.
9. They set their mouth against the heavens; and their tongue walketh
through the earth.
The blessings for which a Christian praises his God, only cause
the infidel to blaspheme him. So true is that of Solomon. " The
prosperity of fools destroyeth them." What a pity is it, that the
former should ever be less zealous and indefatigable in difi'using his
piety, than we know the latter is in propagating his blasphemies
through the earth !
10. T%erefore his people return thither : and waters of a full cup are xorung
out to them.
It seemeth impossible to ascertain, with any degree of precision,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 257
the meaning of this verse, or to whom it relates. Some think it in-
tends those people who resort to the company of the wicked, because
-they find their temporal advantage by it ; while others are of opin-
ion, that the people of God are meant, who, by continually revolv-
ing in their thoughts the subject here treated of, namely, the pros-
perity of the wicked, are sore grieved, and enforced to shed tears in
abundance. Mr. Mudge translates the verse thus : — " Therefore let
his (God's) people come before them, and waters in full measure
would be wrung out from them ;" that is, " Should God's people fall
Into their hands, they would squeeze them to the full, they would
wring out all the juice in their bodies." He takes " waters in full
measure" to have been a proverbial expression.
11. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most
High?
They who interpret the foregoing verse of the people of God,
tempted by the success of the ungodly to distrust his providence,
suppose this and the following verses to be uttered by " them," as
questioning whether God had any regard to what passed here be-
low. But, to avoid confusion of persons, I would rather suppose the
foregoing verse (to whomsoever it may belong) to be parenthetic,
and the verse now under consideration to be an epicurean, atheisti-
cal speech in the mouth of the wicked above described at large ;
after which the Psalmist goes on, in his own person, as from the
beginning, to relate the temptation which he underwent, and the
issue of it.
12. Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world, they increase
in riches.
The temptation is now" stated in its full force. " These" worth-
iess, ungodly, blasphemous wretches, whose characters I have been
delineating, " these" are the men who prosper in the world, who
succeed in every thing they undertake, and roll in riches ! What
are we to think of God, his providence, and his promises ?
13. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in inno-
cency : 14. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every
morning.
Nature will be apt upon this occasion to suggest, that all my faith,
my charity, and my devotion, all my watchings, and fastings, in
short, all the labour and pains I have taken in the way of goodness,
have been altogether vain and fruitless ; since, while the rebellious
enemies of God enjoy the world and themselves at pleasure, I, who
continue his servant, am in perpetual tribulation and affliction.
15. If I say, Twill speak, or, declare, or, preach, thus: behold, I should of-
fend against the generation of thy children.
The Psalmist, having thus particularized the disease, proceeds
now, like a skilful physician of the soul, to prescribe a medicine for
it, which is compounded of many salutary ingredients- And first, to
^e suggestion of nature, grace opposes the examples of the children
33
1368 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
t
of God. who never fell from their hope, in another world, because of
their sufferings in this. For a man, therefore, to distrust the divine
goodness on that account, is to belie their hope, renounce their faith,
and strike his name out of their list.
16. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me.
A second reason why a man should not be too forward to arraign
God's dispensations of injustice, is the extreme difficulty of under-
standing and comprehending the whole of them, which indeed is
not to be done by the humaji mind, unless God himself shall vouch-
safe it the necessary information. " It was too painful for me," says
the Psalmist.
17. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
The third argument, with which we may repress the spirit of mur-
muring and distrust, so apt to be excited by the prosperity of the
wicked, is one communicated to us by the word of God, which alone
can acquaint us with what is to be the "end," the final portion of
sinners at the last day. This is an arrow from the heavenly quiver,
which brings down our enemy at once, and lays Dagon prostrate
before the ark.
18. Surely thou didst, or, dos{, set them in slippery places : thou castedst
them down into destruction.
Worldly prosperity is as the narrow and slippery summit of a
mountain, on which, to answer the designs of his providence, God
permits the wicked, during his pleasure, to take their station ; till at
length the fatal hour arrives, when, by a stroke unseen, they fall
from thence, and are lost in the fathomless ocean of sorrow, torment,
and despair.
19. HoiD are they brought into desolation as in a moment ! tJiey are utterly
consumed with teiTors.
The sudden alteration which death makes in the slate of a pow-
erful and opulent sinner, cannot but affect all around him, though
they behold but one part of it. How much more would they be
astonished and terrified, if the curtain between the two worlds were
undrawn, and the other half of the change disclosed to view ! Let
faith do that which sight cannot do ; and then the ungodly, how-
ever wealthy and honourable, will surely cease to be the objects of
our envy.
20. As a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when thou awaJcest, or,
causest them to awake, thou shall despise their image.
The life of the ungodly is a sleep ; their happiness a dream, illu-
sive and transitory ; at best a shadow ; afterwards, nothing. At the
day of death the soul is roused out of this sleep, and the dream
vanishes. When God shall thus awaken them, he will "despise
their image," he will bring to nought and render utterly contempti-
ble, even in their own sight, as well as that of himself, of his holy
angels, and the spirits of the righteous, those imaginary and fantas-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 259
tic pleasures for which they have lost the substantial joys and glo-
ries of his heavenly kingdom. Now, therefore, while it will not be
in vain, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light." Ephes. v. 14. See Job xx. 4. &c.
Isa. xxix. 8.
21. Thus my heart inas grieved, Heb. in a ferment, and I was pricked in
my reins. 22. So foolish was /, and ignorant : I was as a beast before thee.
Tlie Psalmist, fully satisfied with the conduct of Providence, re-
flects upon the folly of his former uneasiness, and humbly owns,
that his doubts were occasioned solely by his ignorance of God's
ways ; while he formed his judgment of them without having duly
taken into consideration the final issue of things. The last day,
when it conies, will bring with it a solution of all difficulties. He
who bears impressed upon his mind such an idea of that day, as
the iScriptures can give him, may solve them now.
23. NeveriJieless, I am continually with thee; thou hast holden me by my
right hand.
The remainder of the Psalm contains the most dutiful and affec-
tionate expressions of a mind perfectly at ease, and reposing itself,
with comfortable assurance, on the loving kindness of the Lord, of
which it had experienced a fresh instance, in its support under the
late temptation, and complete victory over it. " I am continually
with thee," as a child under the tender care of a parent ; and as a
parent, during my danger of falling in a slippery path, " thou hast
holden me," thy child, " by my right hand."
24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards rec^ve me to
glory.
He who, but a little while ago, seemed to question the providence
of God over the affairs of men, now exults in happy confidence of
the divine mercy and favour towards himself, nothing doubting but
that grace would ever continue to guide him upon earth till glory
should crown him in heaven. Such are the blessed effects of " going
into the sanctuary," and consulting the " hvely oracles" in all our
doubts, difficulties, and temptations.
25. Wliom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that
/ desire beside, Heb. with, or, in comparison of, thee.
The believing soul seems here to speak in the person and with
the affection of a spouse, declaring, that not only earth, but heaven
itself, would be unsatisfactory and comfortless, without the presence
of her beloved Redeemer, the God of her salvation. But there is a
pathos in the words themselves, which, though the Christian feels,
the commentator cannot express.
26. My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart,
and my portion for ever. *
None of these things, in the abundance of which the wicked place
their happiness, can deliver us in the day of death. " Flesh" must
260 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
revert to dust, and the " heart" must cease its beating. He alone,
therefore, is the proper object of our faith and love, who can support
and carry us tlirough the dreadful hour, and then raise us again, to
be our " portion for ever." Lord Jesu, who hast so graciously pro-
mised to become our portion in the next world, prevent us from
choosing any other in this.
27. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish : thou hast destroyed^
or, wilt destroy, all them that go a whoring from, thee.
They who are " far from God," are just so far from salvation ;
and of course, if they remain in that situation, must " perish." Nor
have they reason to expect any other fate, who in their hearts depart
from the holy Jesus, after he has betrothed them to himself in right-
eousness ; and prefer to him the vilest and basest of his enemies, the
world and the flesh, by whose wicked hands he was crucified and
slain.
28. But it is good for me to draw near to God : I have put my trust in the
Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
As if the Psalmist had said, in other words — Hear, therefore, the
conclusion of the whole matter. Let others, dazzled by the blaze
of worldly prosperity, forsake God, to obtain a share of it ; or mur-
mur against him, because they cannot obtain it. I am persuaded,
it now is, and finally will be, "good," dehghtful, profitable, and hon-
ourable, "for me to draw near, and join myself to him ;" which, in
this life, I can do no otherwise than by believing and hoping in his
holy name ; " I will put my trust in the Lord God," and excite
others to do the same by " declaring his works," and dispensations ;
that all may perceive what an amazing difference will one day be
made, between him who lusteth after the creature, and him who
loveth the Creator.
PSALM LXXIV.
ARGUMENT. — Upon whatever occasion this Psalm might have been originally com-
posed, it is plainly intended for the use of the church in time of persecution. 1. She
bemoans herself as deserted by God ; the return of whose favour she entreats, 2. on
account of his having redeemed her; 3 — 9. of the ravages made, and, 10. the re-
proaches thrown out by the enemy ; 11 — 15. she reminds liim of the wonders for-
merly wrought in her behalf, and, 16, 17. of his power and goodness, manifested in
the common course of nature; 19. of the relation in which she stands to him ; 20.
of his covenant ; 21, 22. of the honour of his name, and, 23. the increasing fury of
her adversaries, just ready to swallow her up.
1. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever 7 why doth thine anger smoke
against the sheep of thy pasture 7
God not only permits, but by his prophet, who indited this form
of words, directs the church, upder persecution, to expostulate with
him for having, to all appearance, finally deserted her. And that,
in such deplorable circumstances, she may move his compassion, and,
as it were, revive his love towards her, she is taught to remind him
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 261
of that endearing relation which once subsisted between him and
his people, the relation of a "shepherd" to his "sheep." The soul,
when led into captivity, and detained in it, by a prevailing hist or
passion, may make her prayer hkewise in these words, adapted to
her case.
2. Remember thy congregation which thou hast purchased of old; the rod^
or tribe^ or portion, of thine inheritance^ which thou hast redeemed ; this
Mount Sion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
The Israelitish church pleads for mercy, upon these considera-
tions, that God had formerly vouchsafed to redeem her from the
Egyptian bondage, and to fix his residence on Mount Sion, all
which would prove to have been done in vain, should he leave her,
at last, in the hands of her enemies. The redemption by Jesus
Christ, and his habitation in the church Christian by his Spirit, are
the corresponding argimients to be urged, on similar occasions, by
her, and by the believing soul. .
3. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations : even all that the enemy
hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
God is represented as having withdrawn himself, and departed
afar off; he is therefore entreated to return without delay, to view
the long-lasting desolations of the once highly favoured city, and
the ravages made by aliens in the sanctuary ; which could not but
excile in him compassion for his people, and indignation against
their enemies. The outward calamities of a persecuted church
should cause us to reflect on the sad havoc and devastation made
by sin and Satan in the soul, which before was the city and temple
of the living God.
4. Tliine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations^ or, places of wor-
ship: they set up their ensigns for signs.
No sound can be more shocking than the confused clamours of
an heathen army sacking the temple ; no sight so afflicting, as that
of " the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place." Tur-
bulent passions are the enemies, which raise an uproar of confusion
in the heart ; wealth, power, and pleasure, are the idols which pro-
fane that sanctuary.
5. A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick
trees. 6. Bid now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes
and hammers.
The difficulty of these verses lies altogether in the first word, ^niv
without which, their literal construction is as follows : — " As he who
lifted up axes in the thick wood, so now they," the enemies, above- .
mentioned, " break down the carved work thereof," of the sanctuary,
" with hatchets and hammers." Some interpreters render ^^^«l^ im-
personally ; not " He was famous," but " It is well known," it is
manifest, O God, to all the world, " that as he who lifteth up axes,
so now," &/C. Or, may not the sense be — " as >rnn^ a knowing, skil-
ful person, one who understands his business, hfted up the axe in
262 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the thick wood, so now men set themselves to work to demolisli the
ornameats and timbers of the sanctuary." The words suggest an-
other reason why God should arise and have mercy upon 8ion, lest
his name should be blasphemed among the nations, when they saw
and heard of the sacrilegious and horrible destruction wrought by
the enemy ; whom neither the majesty of the temple nor the rever-
ence of its divine inhabitant, could restrain from defacing the beauty
of holiness. The ornaments of the internal and spiritual temple
sometimes suffer as much from the fury of inordinate affections, as
the carved work of the sanctuary ever did from the armies of Nebu-
chadnezzar or Antiochus.
7. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary^ they have defiled^ or, desecrated^
by casting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground.
The gates of the second temple were set on fire by Antiochus ;
see 1 Mac. iv. 38 ; but the whole fabric of the first was burnt by
Nebuchadnezzar. When animosities break forth, and contentions
are raised in the church, " fire is cast into the sanctuary :" when the
Boul sinks under a temptation, the " dwelling-place of God's name
is desecrated to the ground."
8. They said in their hearts^ Let us destroy them together : they have burnt
up all the synagogues of God in the land.
Such is the rage of infidels, when it pleases God, for the sins of
his people, to let them loose upon the church as beasts of prey.
From scenes like these, we learn the temper and disposition of that
raging adversary of mankind and his associates ; who, if permitted,
would root Christianity out of every heart. " Watch, therefore, and
pray," saith the Captain of our salvation to all his soldiers.
9. We see not our signs^ there is no more any prophet, neither is there
among us any that knoweth how long.
Darkness is horrible in itself, and adds horror to every thing else.
The church therefore complains that, in the midst of all her other
troubles, she was deserted by the light of heaven. No " signs," or
miracles, were exhibited for her comfort ; there was no " prophet,"
to inform her concerning the will of God, or to promise her an " end"
of her afflictions, as Daniel did when she was a captive in Babylon.
Sin darkens the understanding, taking from it that light, the direc-
tion of which it then stands most in need of.
10. O God, haw long shall the adversary reproach 7 shall the enemy bias-
pTieme thy name for ever? 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy
right hand 7 Pluck it out of thy bosom.
To an enumeration of calamities succeeds a prayer for deliverance,
grounded on the necessity of God's vindicating the honour of his
name from the insolent and blasphemous reproaches and scoffs of
the enemy. See Ezek. xx. 19. He is, therefore, entreated to make
bare his arm in the sight of the nations, and to let his right hand
become glorious in the vindication of his name, and the defence of
his inheritance.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 263
12. For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
And that he will do so, there is always reason for the afflicted
church to hope; because, as her " King," he conducted and pro-
tected her of old, and wrought "salvation" for her upon th^ earth ;
temporal salvation by the hand of Moses; eternal salvation by the
power of Christ.
13. 7^0?^ didst divide the sea by thy strength; thou breakest the heads of
the dragons in the waters.
The first part of this verse alludes to that marvellous act of om-
nipotence which divided the Red Sea, for Israel to pass over ; the
second part, to the return of its waves upon the heads of the Egyp-
tians, who, hke so many sea-monsters, opening their mouths to devour
the people of God, were overwhelmed, and perished in the mighty
waters. The Christian church is taught to contemplate, under this
figure, the salvation of her children, and the destruction of their spiri-
tual enemies, by the waters of baptism, (see 1 Cor. x. 2,) and the
Ofiice for Baptism in the Church of England. Parallel to this pas-
sage in our Psalm is that most subUme one, Isa. H. 9, 10, 11 : " Awake,
awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ! awake, as in the an-
cient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut
Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it that hath dried
the sea, the waters of the great deep ; that hath made the depths of
the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over ? Therefore, the re-
deemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion,
and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads ; they shall obtain
gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away."
14. TVioic breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be
meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
" Leviathan," stands for Pharaoh, or the Egyptian power, repre-
sented by the Egyptian animal, the crocodile of Nile, the Egyptian
river. The "heads of leviathan," are the princes of Egypt, the
leaders of the Egyptian armies. And "the people, or inhabitants
of the wilderness," to whom they were given for a prey, are not men,
but a species of wdld beasts, hunting the deserts, for which the word
t)"^^? is used, Isa. xiii. 21, and xxxiv. 14. The sense therefore is,
that the bodies of Pharaoh and his captains were thrown on shore
by the sea, and so became food for the wild beasts of the neighbour-
ing deserts. The final destruction of the adversaries of Messiah's
kingdom is described at large under a like image, Rev. xix. 17, (fee.
15. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood — that is, draw forth the
fountain and the food, by cleaving the rock — thou driedst up mighty livers.
Two other remarkable exertions of the divine power in favour of
the Israelites are here referred to. Water was brought out of the
rock, to satisfy their thirst in the time of drought ; and the river Jor-
dan was dried up, to open the passage for them into Canaan. In
the former of these transactions, faith beholds the water of life spring-
ing from the Rock of Salvation; in the latter are discerned the
264 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
mystic death and resurrection of Christians, as a prelude to the cor-
poreal ; when, rising from the depths of the grave, they shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven.
16. TJf^ day is thine, the night also is thine, thou hast prepared the light
and the sun. 17. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth : thou hast made
summer and winter.
From the miiacalous interpositions of God, in behalf of his people,
the church passes to those ordinary and standing evidences of his*
goodness towards us, the sweet vicissitudes of light and darkness,
and the grateful succession of times and seasons ; by which man ia
taught, in the most sorrowful night, to look for a joyful morning;
and, during the severest winter, to expect a reviving spring. Thus-
is the revolving year our constant instructor and monitor ; inces-
santly inculcating the duties of faith and hope, as well as those of
adoration, gratitude, and praise.
18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the
foolish people have bla.sphemed thy name. 19. O deliver not the sold of thy
ttirtle-dove unlo the multitude of the wicked, forget not the congregation of'
thy poor for ever.
After endeavouring to support her own faith, and excite the zeal
of God for his inheritance, by a rehearsal of former mercies, the
church again urges the argument of " reproach," touched on before
at ver. 10; and then reminds her Saviour of that endearing appel-
lation of his " turtle-dove," by which he had not disdained to address
her in times past. This turtle-dove, simple, defenceless, solitary,
meek, timid, and mournful, was in danger of being speedily de-
voured by her inveterate and implacable enemies ; who, like birds
of prey, beset her on all sides, thirsting impatiently for her bloods
What an irresistible force do these circumstances give to the words,
" O deliver not the soul of thy turtle-dove unto the multitude of the
wicked ; and forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever !" Let-
us not fail, in the hour of temptation, to use them, and try the sue-?
cess of them.
23. Have respect unto the covenant : for the dark places of the earth, or, the
land, are full of the habitations of cruelty.
The main anchor of the holy ark, in storms and tempests, is faith
in the covenant of grace, made from the beginning in Messiah ;
communicated to Noah, Abraham, David, (fee. as his illustrious rep-
resentatives, and in them to the house of Israel ; accomplished (as
Zacharias beareth witness by his song, Luke i. 72, &c.) at the birth
of Christ, and then extended to the Gentiles. To this covenant, and
the promises made therein, the church here appeals, at a time when
the enemy ravaged the promised land at pleasure, and every thing
seemed to forebode the utter extirpation of the law and people of God.
Hither, therefore, the soul is to fly for refuge, when nothing else
seems capable of affording any.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 26S
21. O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise
thy name.
It is for the honour of God, that they who have recourse to him
for help should not, by "returning" without it, suffer " shame '^
and confusion, in the presence of their insulting adversaries. And
another motive to engage his assistance is, that, for every lost soul,
there will be a voice the less in that choir which is to " praise his
name " to all eternity.
22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause : remember how the foolish man
bias phemeth thee daily. 23. Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tu-
mult of those tl^t rise up against thee increaseth continually.
The church, growing more importunate in her petitions, as the
danger increases, beseeches God to appear in her cause, as being in
effect his own, on account of his promises, his attributes of righteous-
ness and truth, and the reproaches cast on Him through his people^
While speaking, she seems to hear the tumultuous, clamours of the
approaching enemy, growing every minute louder as they advance :
and we leave the " turtle-dove," without the divine assistance, ready
to sink under the talons of the rapacious eagle.
FIFTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM I.XXV.
ARGUMENT. — The prophet, 1. gives thanks with the church to God for the mani-
festation of his name, and the wonders of salvation wrought thereby. 2. He declares
his resolution of executing judgment and justice in his kingdom, which, .3. had been
in disorder and confusion ; 4, 5. he rebukes the wicked ; 6 — 8. reminds them of the
power, providence, counsels, and judgments of God ; 9, 10. he concludes with re-
peating his resolution to praise God, to break the power of wickedness, and to estab-
lish righteousness.
1. Utito thee, O God^ do we give thanks : unto thee do we give thanks : for
that thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare.
The church offers up her repeated praises to God for deliverance ;
she acknowledges the presence of his name in the midst of her,
which had been evidenced by the "wonderful works" wrought for
her salvation. Upon whatever occasion these words were originally
endited, the Christian church now celebrates in them that great de-
liverance which, by so many miracles of mercy and power, hath
been accomplished for her through Messiah, who is in Scripture fre-
quently styled " the name of Jehovah." See Isa. xxx. 27.
2. When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.
The first verse was spoken by many persons ; " Unto thee, O God,
do we give thanks ;" here the speaker is one, and that one is plainly
a ruler, who promises, that when he .shall have " received the con-
gregation," or, as some render it, " when he shall have gotten an
appointed, or fit time, or season," that is, when he shall be estab-
. 34
266 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
lished in power and authority, at a fit time and place, he will "judge
uprightly," and introduce a thorough reformation into a kingdom,
which, as we shall find by the following verse, stood greatly in need
of it. From these circumstances it should seem most probable, that
David is speaking of his advancement to the throne of Israel, and
the intended rectitude of his administration, when he should be set-
tled thereon. What David did in Isr^l, was done in the Church
universal, by him who sat upon the throne of David, when he "re-
ceived," for his inheritance, the great "congregation" of the Gen-
tiles, and the earth was full of the " righteousness " of Jehovah.
3. The earth, or, the land, and all the inhabitants thereof, &re, or, were, dis-
solved : '/ bear up the pillars of it.
Civil distractions, and the continual irruptions of foreign enemies,
had thrown the Israehtish affairs into confusion, and "dissolved"
the frame of government : until, by the re-establishment of royal au-
thority, countenance and support were again given to all the subor-
dinate magistrates ; who are, in their respective stations, the " pillars"
of a community. Such was the universal corruption and dissolu-
tion of manners both among Jews and Gentiles, when Messias, en-
tering upon his regal office, reformed the world, raised the glorious
fabric of the church, and made his apostles and their successors the
"pillars" of his spiritual kingdom. Let men support religion, and
God will support them.
4. / said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly : and to the wicked, Lift not
up the horn: 5. Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiffs
neck.
" Where the word of a king is, there is power." The prophet ad-
dresses himself to the opposers of his government, and the disturb-
ers of Israel : he urges the " folly " of exalting themselves against
their prince ; and exhorts them, for their own sakes, to humility and
obedience. Is not this the very message which the ministers of
Christ have received from their King, and are commanded to deUver
to the world ?
6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor
from the south; 7. But God is the judge; he putteth down one, and setteth
up another.
The opposition mentioned in the preceding verse, was called
"folly." In these verses it is proved to be such ; as being an oppo-
sition, in effect, to the counsels of heaven ; for, not by worldly power
or craft, but by the designation and providence of God himself, the
supreme judge of princes, and disposer of kingdoms, was the house
of Saul "put down," and the house of David "setup." And are
not, then, the enemies of the Son of God in arms against the Fa-
ther ; who, according to the promises going before concerning him,
hath highly exalted him ; hath committed all power and judgment
to him; and hath put all things under his feet? Yea, and the hour
is coming, when he shall put down all rule, and all authority, and
power, and the Lord Jesus alone shall be exalted in that day.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 26T
What will then be the portion of bis impenitent adversaries the
next verse will inform us.
8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the vn'ne ijs red; it is
fidl of mixture ; and he poureth out of the same : but the dregs thereof all
the Tricked of the earth shall wring- them out, and drink them.
As the choicest of heavenly blessings are frequently in Scripture
represented by the salutary effects of wine, a cup of which the mas-
ter of the family is supposed to hold in his hamd, ready to distribute
due portions of it to those around him ; so from the noxious and in-
toxicating quahties of that hquor, when drunk strong, and in too
large a quantity, is borrowed a most tremendous image of the wrath
and indignation of Almighty God. Calamity and sorrow, fear and
trembling, infatuation and despair, the evils of the present hfe, and
of that which is to come, are the bitter ingredients which compose
this most horrible cup of mixture. It is entirely in the hand and
disposal of God, who, through every age, has been pouring out, and
administering of its contents, more or less, in proportion to the sins
of men. But much of the strength and power of the liquor still re-
mains behind, until the day of final vengeance. It will be then ex-
hausted, even to the dregs, by unrepenting rebels: when "burning
coals, fire, and brimstone," and eternal " tempest," shall be " the
portion of their cup." Ps. xi. 6.
9. But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to tlie God of Jacob.
These dispensations of mercy and judgment the prophet resolves
to " declare" to the world for ever, by thus " singing" the works and
the " praises" of God, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs.
And while we now sing them, we declare our resolution to be the
same with his.
10. All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; bat the horTis of the
righteous shall be exalted.
He determines likewise, as every good governor should do, to ex-
ert the authority with which he was entrusted ; to break the power
of triumphant wickedness, and to exalt that rigljteousness which ex-
alteth a nation ; hereby rendering himself a fit image of Him, who
hath since done away transgression, and brought in everlasting right-
eousness, who will one day turn the wicked into hell, and exalt his
faithful servants to reign with him in heaven. Already he reigns in
them upon earth ; causing " all carnal affections to die in them, and
all things belonging to the Spirit to live and grow in them.
PSALM LXXVI.
ARGUMENT. — It is obvious, at first sight, to any one who reads this Psalm, that it
was composed as a thanksgiving hymn, on account of some great deliverance
wrought for his people, by the immediate hand of God. The miracnlons destruction
of the Assyrian army by the angel, in the days of king Hezekiah, is generally
pitched upon as the subject of it, aud affirmed to be so by the ancient Greek in-
268 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
scription prefixed to it in the LXX^version. The prophet, 1, 2. declares the glorjr
which God hath gotten him in Israel ; 3 — 6. describes the circumstances of the de-
liverance, with, 7. a reflection thereupon; 8 — 10. he mentions the effects it had pro-
duced among the nations, and, 11, 12. those which it ought to produce in Israelitish
hearts. The ideas are to be transferred to the salvation of the church universal, by
the destruction of sin and Satan, and the overthrow of the persecuting powers,
] . In Judah is God known ; his name is great in Israel. 2. In Salem also
is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Sion.
On occasion of some great deliverance, the prophet speaks ill
transport concerning that presence and protection of God which the
highly favoured Judah once enjoyed. She enjoyed them while she
continued faithful, and really was what she professed to be. But, ott
account of her infidelity, and rejection of her Messiah, an alteration of
circumstances has taken place. They are no longer Jews, who are
such outwardly ; nor is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh ; but they are Jews who believe in the Son of God ; and they
are of the circumcision who are cleansed by him from all filthiness
of flesh and spirit. The Gentile Christian church hath succeeded
to the privileges of the Israelitish. In her now " God is known" by
the gospel ; and "his name is great" in her, by reason of all the
mighty wonders which he hath wrought for her : she is the tru&
" Salem," or city of peace ; she is the true " Sion," the spiritual,
holy, and beloved hill ; and in her is the " tabernacle" and " dwell-
ing-place" of God her Saviour, by the Spirit.
3. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the
battle.
■ When God appeared in the defence of his ancient people, the
weapons of their enemies were at once blunted and broken, and all
the formidable apparatus of war became, in a moment, utterly use-
less. Such was the event, when the holy Jesus entered the lists
against our spiritual adversaries " for" us ; and such ever will be the
event, when he engages them " in" us.
4. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
This may be a beautiful apostrophe to Mount Sion, (mentioned
ver. 2,) as appearing infinitely more glorious and excellent, through
the favour and protection of her God, than the arm of flesh and the
instruments of war could render the kingdoms of the earth, which
set themselves against her ; and which, for their tyranny, and cruelty,
and the ravages committed by them, are likened to those mountains
where beasts of pre}^, with similar dispositions, rove, and roar, and
devour. The powers of the world " make war with the Lamb,
whose station is upon Mount Sion ;" but "the Lamb shall overcome
them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kino:s ; and they that
are wnth him are called, and chosen, and faithful." Rev. xiv. 1 j
xvii. 14.
5. The stout-hearted are spoiled^ they have slept their sleep : and. none of
the men of might have found their hands. 6. At thy rebuke., O God of Ja-
cob, both the chariot, or, rider, and horse, are cast into a dead sleep.
It must be acknowledged that these two verses seem, in a very
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS* 2&9
particular manner, to point at the miraculous destruction of Senna-
cherib's army, when the " stout-hearted," who doubted not of taking
and spoiling the holy city, were themselves suddenly " spoiled" of
strength and life ; they ''slept their sleep, and found not their hands ;'*
they awaked not again to the use of their powders and faculties ; a
rebuking blast was sent from the God of Jacob, under which the
flower of Assyria withered in the space of a night, and in the morn-
ing was no more ; " the horse and his rider were cast into a dead
sleep ;" they slept the sleep of death. How, in a moment, " were
the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished !" How aston-
ishing the downfall of the tyrant ! How complete the triumph of
the daughter of Sion ! Such will be the destruction of the world ;
such the salvation of the people of God !
7. Thou, even thou, art to be feared ; and who may stand in thy sight, when
once thou art angry ?
Why are the miraculous exertions of Omnipotence recorded in the
book of life, but to suggest to us this reflection, that God, and God
only, is the proper object of our fear ; since neither the wisdom of
the wise, nor the power of the mighty, no, not the world itself, can
stand a single moment before him, " when once he is angry ?" Yet
we continue to dread any frowns but those of heaven ; and one poor,
vain, sinful man shall, through a course of sixty or seventy years,
incessantly and undauntedly tempt and provoke Him who destroyed
185,000 in a night. What is this but madness ?
8. TTiou didst cause judgment to he heard from heaven ; the earth feared^
and was still ; 9. IfTien God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the
earth, or, the afflicted of the land.
A destruction so far exceeding human power, was evidently the
sentence of God's judgment, audibly pronounced from the eternal
throne ; and it was heard by all the earth, with an awful silence,
as when he speaks to attentive nature in thunder. Such was the
effect which this interposition in behalf of his people produced among
the surviving Assyrians and the neighbouring nations. Let us carry
our thoughts on to the sensations which will be felt in the hearts of
men, at that hour when the last trump shall sound in the heavens,
and the earth shall shake from her foundations ; when God shall
arise to execute judgment on the adversaries of his church ; and to
«ave, with an everlasting salvation, all the meek and afflicted of the
earth.
10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee : the remainder of wrath
€halt thou restrain.
The wrath of man, and of Satan himself, against the church,
turns, in the end, to the praise and glory of God, who represses it
when at its height ; and at all times appoints those bounds which it
•cannot pass, any more than the raging waves of the ocean can over-
flow their appointed barrier of sand.
1 1. Vow and pay unto the Lord your God : let all that are round about him
270 A gQMMENTAllY ON THE PSALMS.
bring presents unto him that ought, to be feared. 12. He shall cut of, or, re-
strain, the spirit of princes ; he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
If such should have been the gratitude and devotion of Israehtes,
for a temporary deUverance from the fury of an earthly tyrant, how
much higher ought that of Christians to rise, for eternal redemption
from the great oppressor ! How ought they to " vow and pay their
vows unto the Lord their God ; to bring presents," to offer all they
have, and all they are, to him who is so greatly " to be feared," sa
highly to be loved ; to him who " restrains" the fury of evil angels,
as well as " the spirit of princes ;" and is " terrible" to the powers of
darkness, no less than to " the kings of the earth !"
PSALM LXXVIL
ARGUMENT. — As the foregoing Psalm was evidently composed when the church
had obtained deliverance from her enemies, this seems no less plainly to have been
written at a time when she was in captivity under them. It contains, 1 — 4. a com-
plaint of suffering* : and, 5 — 20. a description at large of the struggle between dis-
trust and faith ; which latter prevails, by having recourse to the consideration of an-
cient mercies ; particularly, that of redemption from Egypt. The Psalm is ad-
mirably calculated for the use and consolation of any church, or soul, when in af-
fliction and distress.
1. I cried unio God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he
gave ear unto me.
Uneasiness in the heart will utter itself by the " voice ;" and when
the pain is intense, the " cry" will be loud. Only let it take a right
direction, and ascend to heaven ; let the application be made to
"God," who will both "hear" and help; not to the world, which
will not do one, and cannot do the other. The cries of the Son of
God alone were heard for his own sake ; the cries of all other men
are heard for his sake.
2. In the day of my trouble I sought the l^m-d : my sore ran in tJie night,
and ceased not ; Heb. my hand was stretched out in the night, and ceased
not, or, without intermission ; my soul refused to be comforted.
To a soul deeply sensible of the world's vanity, and the misery of
sin, every day is a " day of trouble," and the whole time of her pil-
grimage is a long, dark, and wearisome " night," during which she
seeks after her beloved by prayer ; and, for the sake of him, and
those future joys which she expects in his presence, the pleasures of
sense are put away from her, and she " refuses to be comforted" by
such comforters. An Israelite cannot enjoy himself in Babylon ; a
Christian cannot find perfect satisfaction in the world : a return to
Jerusalem will employ the thoughts of both.
3. / remembered God, and icas troubled ; I complained, and my spirit was
overwhelmed; or, I remembered God, and made a noise, i. e. in prayer to him ;
/ meditated, and my spirit was obscured, or, darkened, through grief and
affliction.
This is a fine description of what passes in an afllicted and de-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 271
jected mind. Between the remembrance of God and his former
mercies, and the meditation on a seeming desertion under present
calamities, the affections are variously agitated, and tlie prayers dis-
turbed, Uke the tumultuous waves of a troubled sea ; while the fair
hght from above is intercepted, and the face of heaven overwhelmed
with clouds and darkness.
4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking : I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
Through grief and anxiety it is, that the eyes are made to keep
all the watches of the niglit, and wait in vain for sleep to relieve
them from duty, until the dawning of the morning. To a night so
spent, may a season of captivity or persecution be compared. Thus
the ancient church looked for the first advent of Christ ; and thus
doth the church which now is expect his second ; prolonging her
vigils, even unto the dawning of that morning which is at once to
put a period to darkness and to sorrow. In the meantime, she giveth
herself to meditation and prayer.
5. / have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. 6. I call to
remembrance my song in the night: 1 commune with mine own heart; and
my spirit maketh diligent search.
Recollection of former mercies is the proper antidote against a
temptation to despair, in the day of calamity. And as in the divine
dispensations, which are always uniform and like themselves, what-
ever has happened happens again, when the circumstances are simi-
lar ; the experience of •' ancient times " is to be called in to our aid,
and duly consulted. Nay, we may perhaps '' remember" the time,
when we ourselves were led to compose and utter a "song" of joy
and triumph, on occasion of signal mercies vouchsafed us. Upon
these topics we should, "in the night of affliction, commune with
our own hearts, and make diligent search," as Daniel did in Baby-
lon, into the cause, the nature, and the probable continuance of our
troubles ; with the proper methods of shortening, and bringing them
to an end, by suffering them to have their intended and full effect,
in a sincere repentance, and thorough reformation.
7. Will the Lord cast off for ever? ami will he be favourable no morel 8. Is
his mercy clean gone for ever ? doth his promise fail for evermore ? 9. Hath
God forgotten to be gracious ? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ?
The Psalmist now relates tlie process of his meditations, and of
that controversy which arose in his heart between faith and distrust.
While he viewed the distressful scene around him, he found himself
strongly tempted to question God's love of the church ; to think that
he had finally rejected his people; that the promised mercy of re-
demption would never be accomplished ; and that indignation had
constrained the bowels of our heavenly Father, which no longer
yearned towards his afl3icted children. These were the thoughts
suggested to a desponding soul by the desolations of Sion at that
time ; and the state of things in the world may possibly be such, as
to suggest the like thoughts to many in the Christian church, before
our Lord shall appear again, for her final redemption. Imagina-
272 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
tions of the same cast will offer themselves to the mind of the sinner,
when the hand of God has lain long and heavy upon him, by the
infliction of outward calamities, or the terrors of conscience.
10. And I said, This is my infirmity : but I will remember the years, or,
changes, of the right hand of the Most High.
To the insinuations of distrust, faith now begins to reply. The
sufferer checks himself in his former train of thought, and humbly
acknowledges it to have sprung from a mind dispirited, and rendered
timid by misfortunes : " I said, This is my infirmity ;" but he im-
mediately strengthens himself by reflecting, that all "changes" in
the conditions of men are effected, for reasons of infinite wisdom and
goodness, by '• the right hand of the Most High ;" which is not
shortened, but can still, as formerly, when he sees fit, deliver and
exalt, as well as punish and depress his people. What, therefore,
though the daughter of Sion be in captivity, and her enemies insult
over her ? Messias cometh, who shall redeem her, and all nations ;
and then shall " the right hand of the Most High" work an univer-
sal and a glorious " change" upon the earth.
11. I will remember the works of the Lord : surely Twill remember thy won-
ders of old. 12. / will meditate also of all thy works, and talk of thy
doings.
Thus restored to a right frame of mind, the Psalmist, instead of
brooding any longer over the calamities of his own time, resolves to
turn his thoughts towards the divine dispensations of old ; to medi-
tate on God's former works and wonders ; his works of justice and
mercy, of power and wisdom, of nature and grace ; and, by gratefully
celebrating them, to invigorate his faith in the salvation to come, of
which they were so many earnests and pledges. And it is this con-
sideration which makes the eucharistic Psalms ever pleasing, and
ever comfortable to the mind ; they are appeals to those attributes
which have been so often displayed in the cause of the church ; they
are acts of faith, looking backward to the past, and forward to the fu-
ture ; they are praises, and they are prayers.
13. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary, or, in holiness: who is so great a
god as our God?
Faith, now reinstated in its sovereignty over the prejudices and
fears of the soul, and again placed upon the judgment-seat, pro-
nounces the "ways" or proceedings of God to be such as, when
weighed in the balance of the "sanctuary," and judged of by the di-
vine rule and manner of actinof, will be found agfreeable to the stand-
ard of perfect " holiness." An assurance is likewise expressed, that
the power of God, however it may, for a time, lie dormant, yet still
retains the same superiority, of which former exertions show it to
have been possessed over the gods of the nations, the elements of na-
ture, and the powers of the world ; insomuch that nothing, which
■was ever called by others, or called itself " god," was able to stand
before Jehovah, the God of Israel : " Who is so great a god as our
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 273
^<xod ?" Thus, " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,"
•saith our blessed Lord, Matt, xxviii. 18, for the everlasting consola-
tion of the Christian church.
14. Thou art the God that doest wonders ; thou hast declared thy strength
among the people. 15. Thou hast with thine aron redeemed thy people^ the
sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Israel, in times of trouble and distress, was wont to look back to
the '-wonders" wrought in Egypt, and the redemption of all her
tribes from that house of bondage. We Christians are taught, while
we use the same words, to regard parallel, but more important, trans-
actions ; we reflect on the "wonders" wrought for the bodies and
souls of men, by the "strength and the arm" of Jehovah, revealed
and manifested to the world in Christ ; and we celebrate the redemp-
tion, not of "the sons of Jacob and Joseph" only, but of all nations,
from the bondage of corruption ; a redemption compared with which
the deliverance from Egypt, though glorious in itself, hath yet no
glory at all, by reason of the glory that so far excelleth. Our confi-
dence in God, during the seasons of affliction, should therefore rise
■in proportion.
16. TJie waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee ; they were afraid:
the depths also were troubled.
The waters of the Red Sea are here beautifully represented as en-
dued with sensibility, as seeing, feeling, and being confounded, even
to the lowest depths, at the presence and power of their great Crea-
tor, when he commanded them to open a way, and to form a wall
on each side of it, until his people were passed over ; until his peo-
ple were passed over whom he had redeemed. In this amazing
transaction, let us behold, as in a glass, the salvation of believers by
baptism, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who
made the depths of the grave, as he had done those of the sea, a
way for his ransomed to pass over ; and the church, like another
Israel, saw her enemies, in effect, dead at her feet.
17. The clouds poured out water ; the skies sent oid a sound ; thine arro\DS
also went abroad. 18. lite voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the
lightnings lightened the world : the earth trembled and shook.
It is said, Exod. xiv. 24, that at the time when Israel was passing
the sea, " the Lord looked upon the host of the Egyptians through
the pillar of fire and the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyp-
tians, and took off their chariot-wheels, and made them to go heavily :
so that the Egyptians said. Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for
the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians." The verses of
our Psalm now before us seem to explain more particularly the man-
ner in which the Lord "looked upon, and troubled, and fought
against the Egyptians," upon that occasion ; namely, by thunders
and hghtnings, storms and tempests, rain, hail, and earthquake, the
usual tokens and instruments of Almighty displeasure. Josephus, in
hke manner, relates, that the destruction of the Egyptians was ac-
companied by storms of rain from heaven ; by dreadful thunders and
35
274 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
lightnings ; and, in short, by every possible circumstance of terror^
which could testify and inflict upon man the veng^eance of an in-
censed God. From scenes like these, we learn to form an idea of
that power which discomfited the infernal host ; raised Christ from
the dead ; vanquished opposition and persecution ; subdued the-
world to the obedience of faith ; supports and protects the church ;.
will overthrow antichrist; raise the dead; cast the wicked, with
death and Satan, into the lake of fire ; and exalt the righteous, ta
sing, with angels in heaven, " the song of Moses and of the Lamb."'
See Rev. xv. 3.
19. l^hy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great uaters, and thy foot*
steps are not known.
The dispensations and w^ays of God, like the passage through the
Red Sea, are all full of mercy to his people ; but they are also, like
that, often unusual, marvellous, inscrutable ; and we can no more
trace his footsteps, than we could have done those of Israel, after the
waters had returned to their place again. Let us resolve, therefore,
to trust in him at all times ; and let us think we hear Moses saying
to u^, as he di:l to the Israelites, when seemingly reduced to the last
extremity ; " Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jeho-^
vah." Exod. xiv. 13.
20. Thou leddest thy people^ like ajiock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron,
The loving-kindness of God towards Israel did not stop at the Red'
Sea, but he conducted his chosen flock, by the guidance of faithful
pastors, through all the perils of the wilderness, to the land of pro-
mi.<e. We likewise, through thy mercy, O blessed Lord Jesus, have
passed the Red Sea at our baptism ; and are now journeying in the
wilderness. Give us those meek, and lowly, and tractable disposi-
tions, which become the sheep of thy pasture; set over us skilful
and vigilant shepherds; and be thou ever both with them and with
us ; until, having surmounted all difficulties and dangers, led by thy
grace, and supported by thy providence, we all come, in perfect
safety, to the land of everlasting rest ; there to hve with thee, one
fold under one shepherd, world without end.
FIFTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXVIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth a declaration of God's dealing with his peo-
ple, and of their behaviour to him in Egypt, in the wilderness, and after their settle-^
ment in Canaan, to the days of David. It is written for the use and admonition of'
Christians, who may here view, as in a glass, the mercies they have received, and-
the returns which, alas ! they have but too often made for them.
I. Give ear, O my people, to my law : incline your ears to the words of
my m^mlh.
In this verse the Psalmist opens his commission, and speaks as-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 2%
one having authority from above to instruct the world. He de*
mands a large and attentive audience, while, by a series of examples,
he sets forth the goodness of God, and the ingratitude of man, for
the admonition of succeeding ages, to the end of time. St. Paul,
speaking of the very transactions related in our Psalm, saith of them,
"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples," Gr. ri.7r,i,
types; "and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the
ends of the world are come." 1 Cor. x. 11. We Christians, there-
fore, must consider ourselves as the ''people" who are to "give ear
to the law," or, " doctrine," inculcated by the following epitome of
the Israelitish history; we must "incline our ears to the words of"
the prophet's " mouth."
2. I will open my mouth in a 'parable: I will utter dark sayings of old;
3. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
The Psalm, being in itself a plain narrative of facts, can contain
nothing parabolical or enigmatical in it, unless those facts were,
Avhat St. Paul affirms thein to have been, "ensamples," types, or
representations of other facts relative to the Christian church. As
facts they were "heard and known," and handed down from father
to son ; but with respect to the instructions and admonitions compre-
hended in them, and to be extracted by an application to parallel
times and circumstances, they had the nature of a "parable," requir-
ing wisdom and attention so to understand and apply them. It is
observable, that our Lord is, by St. Matthew, said to have spoken to
the multitude altogether in parables, "that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in
parables," (fee, citing the second verse of the Psalm now before us :
Mat. xiii. 35. If it doth not follow from this citation, that the pro-
phet actually speaks the Psalm in the person of Christ, yet thus
much at least is evident from it, that the history of old Israel some-
what resembles the letter of the gospel parables, and contains,
shadowed out under it, the history of a correspondent state of things
in the new Israel, or church Christian.* And ahhough the Psalm,
like a large and capacious palace, be laid out into a multitude of
different apartments; yet, perhaps, we may find, that the Scriptures
of the New Testament will furnish us with a key, which will gain
us admission into every one of them, and put us in possession of the
treasures of divine wisdom therein deposited.
4. We will not hide ihem from their children, showing- to the generation to
come, Heb. the latter generation, the praises of the Lord, and his strength^
and his wonderful works that he hath done.
The writer of this Psalm is desirous that *' the praises of Jeho-
vah, his strength, and the wonderful works that he hath done," an
account of which had reached his own time, should be transmitted
through all the periods of the Jewish economy, down to the V'"ni^ "i"'"',
*' latter generation," or generation to rise in the " latter days ;" the
* " In parabolis" — Aliud dicit ; aliud Innuit ; ac pnfiterilorum specie futura prwsagiL
Id quoque ex person^ ChrisU Matt. xiii. 35. — Bossuet.
276 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
generation of the faithful, to be begotten unto God, from among the
Gentiles, through the gospel. Of this generation are we, who now,
in these words of the holy Psalmist, do from age to age " show the
praises of the Lord" our Saviour, " and his strength and his won-
drous works that he hath done" for us, as he promised and fore-
showed in his dispensations of old time. The glorious theme was
delivered by the Israelitish to the Christian church, and will be re-
sumed in heaven, there for ever to employ the tongues of saints, and
the harps of angels.
5. For lie established the testimony in Jacob ^ and appointed a law in Israel^
which he commanded our fathers^ that they should make them known to their
children. 6. That the generation to come, or, latter generation, might know,
them, even the children which should be born ; who shoidd arise, and declare
them to their children.
The account of God's dealings w^ith his people to be celebrated in
our Psalm, begins with the " law^," or " testimony, appointed and
established in Israel" by the hand of Moses. Under these names
are comprehended, not only the precepts and ceremonies, but the
several transactions to which they referred, and in commemora-
tion of which they were instituted ; as also that future salvation to
which they, as well as the transactions, had an aspect. Thus the
passover, for instance, looked backward to the redemption by Moses,
and forward to that by Messiah. The law thus considered, as in-
volving the gospel within it, was, to understanding and pious Israel-
ites, the fountain of wisdom and source of delight. They w^ere to
meditate therein day and night, and teach their children to do like-
wise ; until, with its types realized, and its prophecies accomplished,
in the Redeemer, it should go forth out of Sion in perfect beauty,
and run and be glorified among the nations. The " law" and the
" testimony" are now become ours ; and it is our duty to transmit
them down to latest posterity, until Jesus shall return to judgment.
7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the icorks of Gody
but keep his commandments. S. And might not be as their fathers, a stub-
bom and rebellious generation ; a generation ih-a.t set not their heart aright^
a/nd whose spirit was not steadfast icith God.
The reason is here assigned, why God gave Israel a law, and
commanded that fathers should teach it to their children, and their
children's children ; and the same reason holds with regard to the
gospel ; namely, that the chosen people, renouncing *he world, with
its idols and lusts, should believe and " set their hope in" the true
" God," the only Saviour ; that they should " not forget the works"
which he hatVi wrought for their redemption ; and that,, ever mind-
ful of those works, thiy should love him, and '' keep his command-
ments ;" not following the examples of the fathers of Israel, who
proved "faithless," and "rebellious" in the wilderness, when God
had brought them out of Egypt. This is the very use St. Paul
makes of those examples. " With some of them," says he, " God
was not well pleased, for they w^ere overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were our examples," twtto* 'ni^^v, " to the intent we
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 277
should not lust after evil things, or be idolaters, or commit fornica-
tion, &c. (fee. as did some of them." 1 Cor. x. 5.
9. The children of Ephraim, being armed^ and carrying boxes, turned hack
in the day of battle.
As the context treats concerninor the behaviour of Israel in gene-
ral, upon their coming out of Egypt ; and as the cowardice of the
tribe of Ephraim in particular, at that time, is nowhere mentioned,
it is therefore most probable that one tribe is here put for all the rest ;
and that, under the figure of men, when prepared for battle, turning
their backs at sight of an enemy, is pointed out that disposition of
the Israelites, after all their promises, resolutions, and vows of serving
and obeying God, to fall away and relapse into sin, upon the first
temptation. How often is this the case with the Christian soldier?
Let not him who hath just put on his spiritual armour, boast, like
him who is putting it oflf. when the fight is over, and the victory ob-
tained.
10. They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his laWj
11. And for gat his works, and his wonders, that he had showed them.
12. Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of
Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
These verses, it is apprehended, describe in plain terms, what w^as
metaphorically expressed in the verse preceding, namely, the prone-
ness of the Israelites to break the '• covenant," transgress the " law,"
and forget the "works" of God, even those astonishing works
wrought in " Egypt," and in " Zoan," its capital city. Let the
Christian, who perhaps is amazed at the frequent rebellions of stiff-
necked Israel, reflect a little within himself, how he has observed the
baptismal " covenant," how he has " walked in the law," and with
what gratitude he has remembered the "marvellous works" of
Jesus.
13. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through ; and he made
the waters to stand as an heap.
From the miracles wrought in Egypt, the Psalmist proceeds to
what happened at the exodus. And here he fails not to mention
that great work of Almighty power, the division of the Red Sea,
which was ever uppermost in the thoughts of a devout Israelite ; as
the passage of the church, in Christ her Saviour, through the grave
and gate of death, ought never to depart from the memory of a
Christian.
14. In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a
light of fire.
During the forty years' pilgrimage of Israel in the wilderness, a
preternatural column of fire and cloud attended the camp. It rested
with them, and moved on before them, directing and conducting
them in their journeys ; in the night-season it was a bright and
shining light ; and in the day-time it afforded a grateful cooling
ehade from the burning heat of those sultry deserts. Thus is Christ
278 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
present with his church, while she sojourns upon earth, by his word
and his Spirit, guiding her steps, enhghtening her darkness, and
mitigating her sorrows.
15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the
great depths. 16. He hrougiit streams also out of the rock, and caused waters
to nm down like rivers.
" Let us," saith Bishop Taylor, " by the aids of memory and fancy,
consider the children of Israel in the wilderness, in a barren and dry
land where no water was, marching in dust and fire, noi wet with
the dew of heaven, but wholly without moisture, save only what
dropped from their own brows. The air was fire, and the vermin
was fire ; the flying serpents were of the same kindred with the
firmament ; their sting was a flame, their venom was a fever, and
the fever a calenture ; and the whole state of the Israelites' abode
and travel was a little image of the day of judgment, when the ele-
ments shall melt with fervent heat. These men, hke salamanders
walking in fire, dry with heat, scorched with thirst, and made yet
more thirsty by calling upon God for water ; suppose, I say, these
thirsty souls, hearing Moses promise that he will smite the rock, and
that a river should break forth from thence ; ob:5erve how presently
they run to the foot of the springing stone, thrusting forth their heads
and tongues to meet the water, impatient of delay, crying out, that
the water did not move like light all at once : and then suppose the
pleasure of their drink, the insatiableness of their desire, the im-
mensity of their appetite : they took in as much as they could, and
they desired much more. This was their sacrament, and this was
their manner of receiving it. And if that water was a type of our
sacrament, or a sacrament of the same secret blessing, then is their
thirst a signification of our duty."*
17. And they sinned yet more against him, by provoking the Most High in
the wilderness. 18. And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat
for their Itist. 19. Yea, they spake against God ; they said, Can God fur-
nish a table in the wilderness 7 20. Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters
gushed, out, and the streams overflowed ; can he give bread also, or provide
flesh for his people 7
These frequent rebellions of Israel, with the presence of God in
the midst of them, and his miracles before their eyes, would seem
incredible, had they been related anywhere but in the oracles of
truth ; and did not the heart of every self-knowing Christian at once
acknowledge the picture which is here drawn of human nature, its
increduHty and perverseness. For hath not God delivered us from
the house of bondage, and supported us in the wilderness ? is not
Jesus present in the church, and are not his miracles of love and
mercy continually before our eyes, in the word and in the sacra-
ment? Yet, who does not still "provoke" and '-tempt the Most
High ?" who does not ask provision for his " lust," when his neces-
sities are satisfied ? and who, after all the proofs he has of God's
* Worthy Communicant, p. 92.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 279
power and goodness, is not apt, upon every appearance of danger, to
be diffident and distrustfid of his providence ? Before we condemn
others, let us try ourselves, and judge righteous judgment. When
David pronounced the words, " The man that hath done this thing
shall surely die," little did he think of being told by his faithful
monitor, '-Thou art the man." Conscience, if duly interrogated,
will be a Nathan to every one, and show him his own transgressions
in those of old Israel.
21. Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth : so a Jire was kindled
- aga'mst Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel ; 22. Because they be-
lieved not in God, and trusted not in his salvation : 23. lliough he commanded
the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven, 24. And had rained
down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
25. Man did eat angeW food : he sent them meat to the full.
The discontents mentioned above, in verse 17, ifec. were posterior
not only to the miracle at the rock, but also to the gift of " manna,'*
which, after some little time, the people " loathed," and demanded
^' flesh," repenting that they had forsaken Egypt, where they fared
more to their satisfaction : see Numb. xi. The cause of the discon-
tents was infidelity, and the effect of them a display of God's indig-
nation : " The Lord was wroth — because they believed not," (fee.
Now, as St. Paul styles the water "spiritual," or, sacramental "drink,"
proceeding from " a spiritual rock, which rock was Christ ;" so he
terms the manna " spiritual," or, sacramental " meat : they did all
eat of that same spiritual meat." 1 Cor. x. 3. And our Lord, in
John, vi., discourses at large upon the subject, to convince the Jews
that God, who gave to their fathers manna in the wilderness, had
in him given them " the true bread" of eternal hfe, which the manna
was intended to represent. " I am the living bread which came
down from heaven ; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for
ever ; and the bread that 1 will give is my flesh, which 1 will give
for the life of the world." Christ crucified is the support of spiritual
and eternal life ; faith is the mouth by which this support is received ;
manna was an outward and visible sign of it to the Israelites in the
wilderness ; the eucharistic bread is such to Christians in the world.
When that holy ordinance is celebrated, " the doors of heaven are
opened," spiritual food is given from above, and man eats D-^-i-^riN cn^,
" the bread of the mighty ones ;" whether by " mighty ones" we
understand those who eat the bread, and are invigorated thereby, or
the blessed persons who give the bread to man. Such is our manna,
our sustenance in the wilderness, oui* viaticum, while on the road to
Canaan. But how is it " loathed" and despised in comparison with
" the flesh-pots of Egypt," by men who " believe not in God, and
trust not in his salvation !" Will not the same cause produce the
same eflfect ? Will not " Jehovah hear this, and be wroth ?" Will
not "a fire be kindled against .Jacob, and anger also come up against
Israel ?" " For this cause," saith an apostle to the irreverent Corin-
thian receivers, " many are weak and sickly among you, and many
sleep." 1 Cor. xi. 30.
280 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
26. He cai/sed an east wind 1o blow in the heaven : and by his power he
brought in the south wind. 27. He rained JiesJi also upon them as dust^ and
feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. 28. And he let it fall in the
midst of their camp, round about their habitaiions. 29. So they did eat, and
were well filled: for lie gave them tJieir own desire: 30. They were not
estranged from their lust. But while the meat was yet in their mouths, 31.
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote
down the chosen men of Israel.
The people, discontented with manna, asked, in a tumultuous and
rebellious way for flesh, at the same time distrusting the power of
God to give it them in the wilderness. Flesh, however, was pro-
cured. A wind, proper for the occasion, went forth from Jehovah,
and brought a cloud of quails, which furnished the whole camp
with a most dehcious kind of flesh-food, for the space of an entire
month. But from the event we learn, that inordinate desires, though
sometimes complied with, and satisfied by heaven, do not therefore
go unpunished ; on the contrary, they are often punished by being
complied with. The blessings chosen for us by God are blessings
indeed, and, like the manna, bring no sorrow with them : but when
we choose for ourselves, and are so unhappy as to be gratified in
that choice, our portion too often proves a curse ; and, while the
much-loved morsel is yet between our teeth, " the wrath of God
comes upon us," for making a wrong choice. This will always be
the case in the end, whenever earth is preferred to heaven, and
sense to faith.
32. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works,
33. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in
iroublfi.
Mercies are followed by provocations ; provocations are punished
with judgments ; to judgments succeed repeated provocations, which
call dow^n fresh judgments. Immediately after the history of the
quails, we read of a sedition stirred up by Aaron and Miriam, and
of new murmurs at the report, brought by (he spies, concerning the
promised land ; in consequence of which last the nation had been
destroyed, but for the intercession of Moses ; and the whole genera-
tion of those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb,,
actually fell in the wilderness, wasted and consumed by various
plagues and calamities, during a forty years' peregrination. See
jNlumb. xii. xiii. xiv. St. Jude makes mention of such a generation
in the early days of the Christian church, speakers of " hard speeches
against Christ, murmurers, complainers, walking after their own
lusts ;" and he therefore puts converts '^ in remembrance, how that
the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, after-
ward destroyed them that believed not." Jude, verse 5, and 15.
Because, notwithstanding all that Jesus has done, and continues to
do for the church, men "sin yet more, and believe not for his won-
drous works," but either despise the heavenly country, or despair of
obtaining it, therefore is the hand of God Jieavy upon the world ;
" vanity and trouble" wear out the life of man ; and they who have
passed the waters of baptism, fall short of the promised rest.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 281
34. JVhen he slew them, then they sought him : and they returned, and in-
quired early after God. 35. And they remembered that Go9 was their rock,
and the high God their redeemer. 36. Nevertheless they did jiatter him with
their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 37. For their heart
was not nght with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
Several instances of this behaviour occur in the history of Korah's
rebelHon and punishment, of the fiery serpents, and of Israel and
Moab. See Numb. xvi. xx. xxi. xxv. The Israelites, in this par-
ticular, resembled their great persecutor Pharaoh ; their repentance,
which came with the divine judgments, went also away with them,
and appeared no more. By night the dew^ falleth from heaven, and
refresheth the weary ground, and causeth the green herb and the
flower of the field to revive and spring ; but in the morning the sun
ariseth with a burning heat, and presently the dew is evaporated,
the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, and the ground again becom-
eth parched and dry, as before. Thus it is with man. Adversity
is the night, and grace is the dew, by which his heart is made ten-
der and religious, and good resolutions are formed, and begin to
shoot ; but returning prosperity has the force and effect of a summer
sun : at its presence piety vanisheth, resolutions come to nothing,
and the heart is once more hardened. " O Ephraim," exclaims Je-
hovah by his prophet, " what shall I do unto thee ? O Judah, what
shall 1 do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and
as the early dew it passeth a\yay." Hos. vi. 4. Who, that hath
been conversant in the house of mourning, and about the bed of
sickness, but must have seen frequent instances of a temporary and
deceitful repentance ? Whose heart doth not reproach him with
some of these backslidings of Israel? In the day, therefore, of
health, and strength, and prosperity, before the indignation of
heaven break forth, and the right-aiming thunderbolts fly abroad,
from a motive of love, not of fear, let us '• seek early after God, and
return from our sins, remembering the rock of our salvation, and
the high God, our Redeemer." Thus may we entertain some Hope,
that our conversion is sincere ; that v/e do not " flatter and lie" unto
our Maker ; that our " heart is right with him," and we shall con-
tinue "steadfast in his covenant." And then, a plant that is set and
lives in the heat of the day, how will it thrive and flourish under
the cool and moist influences of night !
38. Bid he being full of compassion, forga.ve their iniquity, and destroyed
them not : yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up
all his wrath. 39. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind, or
breath, that passeth away, and comelh not again.
Had God " stirred up all his wrath," the Israelites must have been
exterminated in the wilderness. But then the promises made to
Abraham, of mercy and " compassion" to them, and by them to all
mankind, had failed. Therefore they were " forgiven," and not
"destroyed:" judgment was executed from time to time upon the
person of offenders ; but still a remnant was left ; the nation sub-
sisted, until the Seed came to whom the promise was made. Nay,
although in consequence of their last and greatest crime, their polity
36
282 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
was subverted with their city and temple, the race is yet marvel-
lously preserved ; and, we trust, preserved for mercy to be shown
them in the last days. Be not angry, O Lord Jesu, for ever with
them, or with us ; but remember of what materials we are made,
and into what a state we are fallen ; how weak and how frail we
are ; how liable to be seduced into sin, and blinded by error : re-
member this, O L«ord, and forgive us ; and teach us to remember it,
that we may forgive one another.
40. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the
desert ! 41. Fea, they turned back, and tempted God, and limited the Holy
One of Israel. 42. They remembered not his hand, nor the day ulien he de-
livered them from the hand of the enemy : 43. How he had wrought his
signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.
The question which the Psalmist here asks, concerning Israel in
the wilderness, is elsewhere asked by him concerning mankind in
general : "Who can tell how oft he offendeth/" Ps, xix. 12. God
informs Moses, who had interceded f >r the people, and, in the name
of the great Mediator, obtained their pardon, that " those men which
had seen his glory, and his miracles which he did in Egypt and in
the wilderness, had tempted him ten times, and had not hearkened
to his voice." Numb. xiv. 22. Forgetfulness of the mercies of re-
demption is the beginning of sin ; and thougli every one knows how
to resent and detest the crime of ingratitude in another, he yet thinks
that his best benefactor will overlook the most flagrant instances of
it in himself.
44. And had turned their rivers into blood; and their foods, that they could
not drink. 45. He sent divers sorts of flies, Heb. a mixture, whether of
beasts, or insects, noisome and destructive, among them, which devoured them;
and frogs, which destroyed them. 46. He gave also their increase unto the
caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. 47. He destroyed their vines
with hail, and their sycamore-trees with frost. 48. He gave up their cattle
also to the liail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts, or, flashes of lightning.
The Psalm goes back to the subject of Israelitish ingratitude,
mentioned at the beginning, verse 11, 12, in order to introduce an
account of the miracles wrought in Egypt previous to the exodus.
These miracles were intended to evince the superiority of Jehovah
over the elements and powers of nature, which at that time were
objects of worslup amongst the Egyptians, but plainly appeared to
act at the command of Moses, in subordination to their great Creator,
the God of the Hebrews. In the heavens, on the earth, and in the
waters, supremacy and independency were demonstrated to belong
to him only ; fire and air, thunder and lightning, wind, rain, and
hail, obeyed his word : rivers became blood, and their inhabitants
perished ; insects and animals left their wonted habitations, to destroy
vegetables, or torment man : so that wherever the gods of Egypt
were supposed to reside, and to exert their influences in favour of
their votaries, in all places, and all circumstances, victory declared
for Jehovah. Hence modern as well as ancient idolaters may learn
not to put their trust in the world, but in him who made, and who
can and will destroy it ; whose power can render the most insignifi-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 283
cant of his creatures instruments of his vengeance, and, in a mo-
ment, arm all the elements against sinners ; and whose mercy will
employ that power in the final salvation of the church ; when, as
the author of the hook of Wisdom expresseth it, '• He shall make
the creature his weapon for the revenge of his enemies, and the
world shall fight for him against the unwise." Wisdom, v. 17, 20.
The curious and striking reflections which that author makes on the
plagues of Egypt, in chap. xi. xvii. xviii. xix. are well worthy an
attentive perusal. It is also to be observed that St. John describes
the judgments of the last days in terms plainly alluding to those
poured out upon the Egyptians, " as locusts and froga, blood and
darkness." &c. See Rev. ix. and xvi. et al. Under thes.e images
are represented false teachers and erroneous doctrines, carnality and
ignorance, and, in a word, whatever contributes to ravage the moral
or spiritual w^orld, to deface the beauty of holiness, and destroy the
fruits of faith. And, of all the divine judgments, these are by far
the most dreadful, though generally the least dreaded.
49. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation^
and trouble^ by sending evil angels among them.
Some of the Egyptian plagues having been specified in the fore-
going verses, others of them are here thrown together, and the whole
scene is afiirmed to have been a full display of wrath and venge-
ance, executed upon the oppressors of the church by c^^n^g 0^5-1,
^' evil angels, agents, or messengers ;" whether by this expression we
understand the material instruments of divine displeasure ; or angels
employed as ministers of vengeance ; or the actual appearance and
ministration of evil spirits, suffered to torment the wicked in this
world, as they certainly will do in the next. Tradition seems to
have favoured this last opinion, since the author of the book of Wis-
dom, above referred to, describes the Egyptian darkness as a kind of
temporary hell, in which there appeared to the wicked, whose con-
sciences suggested to them every thing that was horrible, " a fire
kindled of itself very dreadful ; they were scared with beasts that
passed by, and hissing of serpents ; and they were vexed with mon-
strous apparitions, so that they fainted and died for fear ; while over
them was spread a heavy night, an image of that darkness which
should afterwards receive them." Wisdom xvii.
50. He made a way to his anger : he spared not their soul from death, but
gave their life over to the pestilence; 51. And smote all the first-bom in
Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.
The last plague was the death of the first-born both of man and
beast ; Exod. xii. 29 : when God, having removed every obstacle
that mercy had thrown in the path of justice, '• made a way to his
indignation," which then rushed forth Hke a fiery stream. An un-
hmited commission was given to the destroyer, w^ho at midnight
passed through the land, and gave the fatal stroke in every house.
" While all things, O Lord, were in quiet silence, and that night was
in the midst of her swift course, thine Almighty w^ord leaped down
9B4 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war, into
the midst of a land of destruction, and brought thine unfeigned
commandment as a sharp sword, and, standing up, filled all things
with death : and it touched the heaven, but it stood upon the earth :"
Wisdom xviii. 14. Pharaoh and all his servants rose up in the
night : there was a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt ; and
universal consternation reigned, inferior only to that which is to ex-
tend its empire over the world, when " the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised." May we be saved, Uke Israel, in that
hour, through the blood of the true paschal Lamb, slain to take
away the sins of the world ! " When I see the blood," says Jehovah
to his people, " I will pass over you."
52. Biit made his oimi people to go forth like sheep ; and guided them in
the wilderness like a fiock : 53. And he led them on safely, so that they feared
not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54. And he brought tliem to the
border of his sanctuary^ even to this mountain, which his right hand had pur-
chased. 55. He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an
inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
Having related the punishments inflicted on Egypt, the Psalmist
returns to those mercies experienced by the Israelites, when God
overthrew their enemies, took them under his protection, fed, and
conducted them in the wilderness, brought them to the promised
land, expelled the heathen, settled his people, and at length fixed his
residence on Mount Sion, which is represented as the conquest and
acquisition of his own arm ; since the victories of Joshua, (fee. were
all owing to the divine presence and assistance. The Christian
church, after her redemption by " the blood of the Lamb," passed
three hundred years in a state of minority, as it were, and under per-
secution, which, with allusion to what befel Israel of old, is called
in the Revelation, her flight and abode in the wilderness. Rev. xii. 6.
At length the true " Joshua," or "Jesus," "brought" her " into the
possession of the Gentiles ;" see Acts vii. 45 ; and she enjoyed a tem-
porary rest and prosperity. But no terrestrial Canaan, no secular ad-
vantages should make us forget, as the Jews did, and as Christians
are apt to do, that the church is in the wilderness while she is in the
world ; and that " there remaineth yet" another and far more glo-
rious " rest for the people of God," after which they ought ever to be
aspiring. See Heb. iv. 9.
56. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his tes-
timjonies : 57. But turned back, and dealt unfaithfidly like their fathers :
they were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58. For they provoked him to
anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven,
images.
The Israelites, when settled in the promised land, soon showed
themselves to be the genuine descendants of those men who
tempted God in the desert. We can hardly read two chapters in
the book of Judges, but we meet with the words, " And the chil-
dren of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord." For this, their
frequent revolting, they are compared to "a deceitful bow," which,
when put to the trial, is sure to disappoint the archer, either drop-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 285
ping the arrow at his feet, or carrying it wide of the mark. Their
zeal and love were either wholly relaxed and enervated by sensu-
ality and indolence, or else turned aside, and misplaced on false ob-
jects of worship. Thus, in the present decline of religion, the devo-
tion of the Romanists hath attached itself to saints, angels, and
images ; while that of Protestants sleepeth, and must be awakened.
In what manner, is known to God only.
59. When God heard this, he was wroth^ and greatly abhorred Israel : 60.
So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent wh\ch he placed among
men ; Gl. And delivered his strength into captivity ^ and his glory into the ene-
my^s hand.
Rebellion against God will, sooner or later, draw down his ven-
geance, and cause the most beloved nation to be " abhorred " by
him : he will forsake the place of his residence, " the tent placed
among men," where he dwelleth by his Spirit ; and the church, by
which his "strength" and his "glory" are manifested to the world,
shall go " into captivity, and the enemy's hand." All this we are
taught by that which came to pass in Israel, when, for the sins of
priests and people, the ark of God, which then abode in Shiloh, was
suffered to fall into the hands of the Philistines : 1 Sam. iv. The
present state of Jerusalem, and of all the once-flourishing eastern
and African churches, speaks aloud the same awful and concerning
truth. " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
62. He gave his people over also to the sword : and was wroth with his in-
heritance. 63. The fire consumed their young men ; and their maidens were
not given to marriage. 64. Tlieir priests fell by the sword ; and their widows
made no lamentation.
These verses refer to the slaughter of Israel by the Philistines, which
was an effect of divine wrath, compared here, as elsewhere, to "a
consuming fire ;" they refer likewise to the death of old Eli, of
Hophni and Phinehas, and the widow of Phinehas, who expired in
childbed, on hearing the mournful news : 1 Sam. iv. History
abounds with the tragical stories of wars and captivities: Scripture
informs us, they are the judgments of God against sin. But calami-
ties affect us not, till they become our own : it is well if they reform
us, even when they do become sa
65. Then the Lord awaked^ as one out ofsleep, and like a mighty man, that
shouteth, by reason of wine.
While, by God's permission, the Philistines were chastising his
people for their sins, he held his peace, and seemed unconcerned, as
one asleep. But Avhen due chastisement has brought the dehnquents
to themselves, the cries of penitent Israel awakened, as it were, and
called forth the zeal of the Lord of Hosts, to vindicate his honour,
and dehver his servants ; and then the vigour of his operations were
such as might be compared to the alacrity and courage of a mighty
champion, when refreshed and inspirited by wine, he attacks his ad-
versaries, and bears down all before him. Under all our sufferings,
let us rest contented with this assurance, that God acts the part of a
286 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
father ; and will therefore remove the rod, when it has answered the
end proposed.
66. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts : he put them to a perpet-
ual reproach.
The former clause of this verse may be rendered, " And he re-
pulsed, or, drove his enemies back ;" as Psalm, ix. 3. " When mine
enemies are turned back ;" the word Tinx being the same in both
places. But as that part of the sacred history is here alluded to, in
which the Philistines are said to have been plagued with " emerods,"
or hemorrhoids, while the ark was amongst them, the passage is
generally rendered, as in our translation, and supposed to intend that
particular plague. Thus much, however, is certain, that Dagon fell
before the ark, which his worshippers were glad to send back, with
acknowledgments of the vengeance inflicted on them by the superior
power of the God of Israel, who could punish where, and when, and
how he pleased. See 1 Sam. v. vi.
67. Moreover he refused the tahemacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe
of Ephraim. 68. But chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Sion which he
loved. 69. And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which
he hath established for ever.
The ark, after its return, went no more to Shiloh, which was in
the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, but was brought first to
Kiriathaim, 1 Sam. vi. 21, a city of the tribe of Judah, and from
thence, after a short stay at the house of Obed Edom, to Mount Sion,
(1 Chron. xiv. and xv.,) which was the chosen and highly favoured
mount ; where was afterwards erected, by Solomon, a magnificent
and permanent habitation for the God of Jacob, during the continu-
ance of the old dispensation ; a resemblance of that eternal temple,
in which all the fulness of the Godhead hath since dwelt bodily.
The divine presence removed at this time to the tribe of Judah, be-
cause out of that tribe, after the rejection of Saul, came the great
representative, as well as progenitor of King Messiah.
70. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.
71. From following the ewes great with young, he brought him to feed Jacob
his people, aiul Israel his inheritance. 72. So he fed them, according to the
integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
The call of David from a sheepfold to a throne teacheth us, that
he who hath showed himself faithful in a few and small concerns,,
is worthy of promotion to more and more important cares ; that the
qualifications requisite for a due discharge of high offices, are best
learned, at first, in an inferior station, especially if it be one that will
inure to labour and vigilance ; and that kings are to consider them-
selves as " shepherds ;" which consideration would perhaps teach
them their duty better than all the precepts in the world. From the
last verse, relative to David's manner of conducting himself after his
advancement, we learn that integrity and discretion, when they meet
in the same person, form a complete ruler, and one fit to represent
that blessed person who entered, like his father David, through suf^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 2&7
ferings into his glory ; who governeth his church in wisdom and
righteousness ; and of whom it is said, by the evangeUcal prophet,
" He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs
with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young." Isa. xl. 11.
SIXTEENTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXIX.
ARGUMENT. — The argument of this Psalm is nearly the same with that of the
seventy-fourth. The church, persecuted and afflicted, sets forlh, 1 — 3. the sacri-
legious devastation and cruel slaughter made by the enemy, with, 4. the reproach
occasioned thereby ; 5 — 7. she prayeth for redrpss and deliverance ; 8, 9. confe.-seth,
and entreateth forgiveness of the sins which had brought these calamities upon her;
and then, 10 — 12. asketh a removal of her reproach and misery ; promising, ]3. end-
less gratitude and praise for the same. We meet with passages of this Psalm,
Jer. X. 25, 1 Mace. vii. 17, but when it was composed is not known.
1. O God^ the heathen are come into thine inheritance ; thy holy temple
have they defiled ; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
Three deplorable calamities are here enumerated by the faithful ;
the alienation of God's inheritance, the profanation of the sanctuary,
and the desolation of the beloved city. When we represent, in our
prayers, the sufTerings and humiliation of the church, we take an
effectual method of awakening the compassion, and recalling the
favour of heaven. Every redeemed soul is the inheritnnce, the
temple, the city of God. When sin enters, and takes possession, the
inheritance is alienated, the temple defiled, the city desolated.
2. 7%e dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls
of heaven; the flesh of lliy saints unto the beasts of the earth. 3. Their blood
have they shed like water round about Jerusalem : and tJiere was none to bury
them.
That horrible carnage which attends the siege and capture of a
city, is the fourth of those calamities bewailed in our Psalm. To
behold, or even to imagine, heaps of slaughtered bodies lying un-
buried, and exposed to birds and beasts of prey, is inexpressibly
shocking to humanity. But with what unconcern are we accus-
tomed to view, on all sides of us, multitudes "dead in trespasses and
sins," torn in pieces, and devoured by wild passions, filthy lusts, and
infernal spirits, those dogs and vultures of the moral world ! Yet to
a discerning eye and a thinking mind, the latter is by far the more
melancholy sight of the two.
4. We are become a reproach to our neighbours : a scorn and derision to
them that are round about us.
A fifth calamity, incident to an afflicted church, is to become, like
captive Israel, the " scorn and derision" of infidels, who fail not, at
such seasons, to reproach her, and blaspheme her God. We know
how to answer those who reproach us with our suflferings, for so
288 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
their predecessors reproached our Master ; but what shall we say,
if we have given the enemy occasion to reproach us with our sins ?
The only real disgrace of religion, is the wickedness of its professors.
5. How long, Lord ? Wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy bum
like fire ?
Parched and exhausted, amidst the flames of persecution, we be-
hold Sion panting for the comforts of redemption. The extent and
continuance of her troubles, cause her to fear a total extermination ;
and by the questions here asked, she tacitly reminds God of his
promises not to, give her up, and destroy her " for ever," on ac-
count of Messias, whom she was in the fulness of time to bring
forth.
6. Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon
the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. 7. For they have de-
voured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
This, though uttered in the form of a wish, or prayer, is to be con-
sidered, like many other passages of the same nature, as a predic-
tion of what would afterwards come to pass. Pagan ambition and
cruelty were often employed to chastise offending Israel ; but were,
themselves, notwithstanding, justly punished, in their turn, by other
powers raised up for that end. That relation in which the church
stands to God, causes him, upon her repentance, to appear in her
behalf, and to execute vengeance on her oppressors, who " know him
not, nor call upon his name." " We are thine," saith Isaiah, " thou
never barest rule over them, they were not called by thy name."
xliii. 19. The church, for her sins, may deserve to sufier ; but her
enemies are not therefore without guilt, nor will they escape without
punishment.
8. O remember not against us former iniquities : let thy tender mercies
speedily prevent us ; for we are brought very low. 9. Help us, O God of our
salvation, for the glory of thy name : and deliver us and purge away our sins,
for thy name^s sake.
Affliction hath then wrought its intended effect, when it hath con-
vinced us of sin, and led us to repentance ; when, brought back by
it, like the returning prodigal, to the house and presence of our
heavenly Father, we acknowledge our guilt as the cause of misery,
and entreat forgiveness of the one, in order to obtain a release from
the other ; not pleadinof our own merits, but the mercies of God our
Saviour, and the glory of his name.
10. Wherefore should the heathen say, Wliere is their God 7 Let him be
known among the heathen in our sight, by the revenging of the blood of thy
ser-vants which is shed ; or, Let the vengeance of Jhy servants^ blood that is
shed, be known among the heathen that is in our sight.
It is for " the glory of God's name," to dehver his church ; because,
while she is in trouble, that name is blasphemed by the enemy,
as if he wanted either power or will, to prevent or remove the cala-
mities of his servants. Prayer is therefore here made by the faith-
ful, that God, not to gratify any vindictive spirit of theirs, but to vin-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
dicate his own attributes, would break the teeth of the oppressor,
and work a pubUc and glorious salvation for his chosen : at behold-
ing which, the very adversaries themselves might possibly be con-
verted.
11. Let the sighing of the 'prisoner come before thee; according to the
greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die.
Next to those who had been slain, the case of such as groaned in
captivity, lying bound in chains and fetters under sentence of death,
to be inflicted at the will of their cruel and insulting conquerors, is
recommended to God. The Christian, though he may at present
be subject to none of these external calamities, forgets not that he
is often persecuted, and led captive, by his ovt^n desires, and bound
in the chains of his sins ; that the world to him is a prison ; that
sentence of death is passed upon him, and he knoweth not how
soon that sentence may be executed. How properly therefore, and
how fervently, may he at all times pray, " O let the sighing of the
prisoner come before thee ; according to the greatness of thy power
preserve thou those that are appointed to die."
12. And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their re-
proach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
That is, As they have reproached thee with weakness, so manifest
to others their weakness, who are but sinful dust and ashes ; as they
have endeavoured to make thee comtemptible, so let the world have
just cause to despise them, Avho have thus presumptuously offended ;
according as it is written, " Them that honour me I will honour, and
they that despise me shall be hghtly esteemed." 1 Sam. ii. 30.
And, however different the appearance of things may now be, this
will certainly be found true, in every instance, at the last day.
13. So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks for
ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.
Such is the resolution of a church under persecution ; and such
ought to be the practice of every church, when delivered out of it,
and restored to the favour and protection of her God. The same is
the duty of every soul, with regard to afflictions and mercies of a pri-
vate kind. But how glorious will be the day, when triumphant
over sin and sorrow, over everything that exalteth and opposeth it-
self, the church universal shall behold the adversary disarmed for
ever ; while she herself, placed in pastures of joy, and led to the
waters of eternal comfort, shall, from age to age, incessantly sing the
praises of her great Shepherd and Bishop, her King and her God !
PSALM LXXX.
ARGUMENT.— The church, still in captivity, 1—3. crieth unto God for help and re-
demption ; 4 — 7. complaineth of her grievous afflictions ; 8 — 13. describeth her for-
mer exaltation, and present depression, under the beautiful figure of a vine;
37
290 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
14 — 16. returneth again to her supplications, and, 17 — 19. prayeth for the advent of
Messiah, to quicken and comfort her, vowing all loy^l obedience, adoration, and^
praise to him, as the author of her salvation.
1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel^ thou that leadest Joseph like a flock ;
thou that dwellest between the cherubinis, shine forth.
The Christian church is now become the " Israel" of God : Jesus
Christ is the " Shepherd" of this Israel, who leadeth his people " hke
a flock ;" he dwelleth in the midst of them by his Spirit, as of old
he dwelt in the holy places, " between the cherubims." Let us be-
seech him to hearken to our prayers, and to manifest the glory of
his power in our defence and deliverance.
2. Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength^ ancC
come and save us.
God is entreated to go forth, in his strength and his salvation, be-
fore the tribes of Israel, as formerly in the wilderness. Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh, are particularly mentioned ; perhaps, be-
cause, according to the established order, those three tribes imme-
diately followed the ark and cherubim, the symbols of the divine
presence. See Numb. ii. 18.
3. Turn, or, restore, us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and
we shall be saved.
This verse is a kind of chorus, occurring three times in the course
of our Psalm. It implies, that the church is in captivity, from which
she prayeth to be " restored" to her former freedom and prosperity ;
that she expecteth such restoration, not from any might or merit of
her own, but from the grace and mercy of her Saviour ; as well
knowing that her night can be turned into day, and her winter give
place to spring, only by the Sun of righteousness rising, and caus-
ing his face to shine upon her desolations. This ought, therefore,
to be the wish and the prayer of every persecuted church, and of
every afflicted soul.
4. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou he angry against the prayer
of thy people ?
The sins of a people may for a time " separate between them and
their God, and hide his face from them that he will not hear :" Isa.
lix. 2 : "he may cover hiinself with a cloud, that their prayers shall
not pass through ;" Lam. iii. 44 ; and seem to reject even the devo-
tions of his distressed servants, while he is proving the strength of
their faith, and the sincerity of their repentance. But if 1 fie former
be strong, and the latter sincere, they will continue to ask, till they
have obtained ; nor cease to knock till the door be opened.
5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, or, of weeping ; and givest
them tears to drink in great measure.
There cannot be a more striking picture of Sion in captivity.
Her bread is dipped in tears, and her cup is filled to the brim with
them : no time is free from grief and lamentation. They who sin
must submit to penance ; which if a man doth not impose on him-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. fiSl
self, God will impose it on him : whereas, if we judged ourselves
we should not be thus judged of the Lord. The church hath ap-
pointed seasons, and given directions for this purpose : but who ob-
serves either the one or the other 1
6. Thou makest tis a strife unto our neighbours : and our enemies laugh
among themselves. i
Israel, when forsaken by her God, was a prey for which all the
neighbouring nations contended, exulting over her, and scoffing at
that condition to which, not their counsels or armies, but her own in-
iquities had reduced her. Hence let us learn how to form a just esti-
mate of the real state both of communities and individuals. Right-
eousness alone exalteth man ; sin is his reproach, and will be his
destruction.
7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cau^e thy face to shine ; and we
shall be saved. See above, ver. 3.
8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt : thou-hast cast out the heathen^
and planted it.
God is reminded of the favour once shown by him to the church of
Israel, and of that prosperity which she once enjoyed. She is com-
Eared to a " vine," removed from the unkindly soil of Egypt, to the
appier regions of Canaan, and there planted by Jehovah, in the
place of nations extirpated for their unfruitfulness. The vine is a
plant weak and lowly, and needing support ; when supported, wild
and luxuriant, unless restrained by the pruning-knife ; capable of
producing the most valuable fruit ; but, if barren, the most unprofit-
able among trees, and fit only for the flames. In all these respects
it is a lively emblem of the church, and used as such by Isaiah, v.
7, by Ezekiel, xv. xvii. xix., and by our Lord himself. Matt. xxi.
33. The Christian church, after her redemption, by the death and
resurrection of Jesus, was planted in the heathen world, as Israel
had been in Canaan ; and the description suits one as well as the
other.
9. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root,
and it filed the land. 10. The hills were covered mth the shadow of it, and
the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars ; or, and the goodly cedars
were covered with the boughs thereof
As the vine striketh its roots deep into the soil prepared for it, and
then diffuseth its numerous branches all around, covering the fertile
hills, by the sides of which it is planted, or running up the lofty
cedars, to tlie bodies of which it is joined ; such was the growth and
fruitfulness of the Israehtish church ; but much greater was that
of the church Christian. Her roots were fast fixed in the hearts
and affections of the faithful, and her boughs shot forth abundant-
ly ; they often felt the knife, but increased under it, both in number
and vigour; till, at length, she overshadowed the Roman empire
with her branches, and replenished the earth with her fruit, grateful
to God and man.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
11. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
This relates to thfe extent of Palestine, which was occupied by
the tribes of Israel, even from the Mediterranean " sea," westward,
to the " river" Euphrates, eastward. This was promised, Deut. i.
24 : " From the river Euphrates to the uttermost sea shall your
ctast be ;" and fulfilled in the days of Solomon. See 1 Kings, iv.
21 ; Psal. Ixxii. 8. To the Christian church the w^hole earth was
the land of promise, and the gospel was preached to all nations : " I
will give thee," saith Jehovah to Christ, " the heathen for thine in-
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
Psahn, ii. 8.
12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass
by the way, do pluck her ?
The Psalmist, having described the exaltation of Israel under the
figure of a vine, proceeds, under the same figure, to lament her de-
pression. She is now represented as deprived of the protection of
God, the counsels of the wise, and the arms of the vahant ; of all
her bulwarks and fortifications, and whatever else could contribute to
her defence and security ; so that, like a vineyard without a fence,
she lay open on every side, to the incursions and ravages of her
neighbouring adversaries ; who soon stripped her of all that was
valuable, and trod her under foot.
13. The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field
doth devour it.
Fierce and unrelenting, her heathen persecutor issued, at different
times, from his abode, like a " wild boar " out of the forest, resolved
not only to spoil and plunder, but to eradicate and extirpate her for
ever. Nor let the church Christian imagine, that these things relate
only to her elder sister. Greater mercies, and more excellent gifts,
should excite in her greater thankfulness and call forth more excellent
virtues ; otherwise they will serve only to enhance her account, and
multiply her sorrows. If she sin, and fall after the same example
of unbelief, she must not think to be distinguished in her punish-
ment, unless by the severity of it. She may expect to see the favour
of heaven withdrawn, and the secular arm, instead of supporting, em-
ployed to crush her ; her discipline may be annihilated, her unity
broken, her doctrines perverted, her worship deformed, her practice
corrupted, her possessions alienated, and her revenues seized ; till at
length the word be given from above, and some antichristian power
be unchained, to execute upon her the full vengeance due to her
crimes. Unclean desires and furious passions are the enemies of the
soul, which deface her beauty, and devour all the productions of
grace in that lesser vineyard of God.
14. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts ; look down from heaven, and
behold, and visit this vine. 15. And the vineyard which thy right hand hath
planted, and the branch that thou modest so strong for thyself.
The church, thus distressed and desolated, offereth a prayer for a
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 293
return of the divine favour, and for a gracious visitation from on
high : she beseecheth God to look down, with an eye of pity, from
heaven, on the vineyard which his o\vn hands had " planted," and
on that royal branch, the family of David, in particular, which he
had raised and established for himself, to accomplish his eternal pur-
pose of saving mankind by Messiah, who was, one day, to spring
from the root of Jesse. The Chaldee paraphrast expounds "the
branch," of Messiah himself, Nn^cc nd^q b^^ " on King Messiah, whom
thou hast established," 6cc. So do the rabbles, Aben Ezra and Oba-
diah, cited by Dr. Hammond. And the LXX., instead of supposing
the word p " a son," to refer to "vine," and so signify a "branch,"
which, in the Hebrew style, is "a son of the vine," have rendered
the passage, tKi vwv avdpwTnv, " on the son of man ;" an expression ac-
tually used by the Psalmist, two verses below. To the advent of
this Son of man Israel was ever accustomed to look forward in time
of affliction : on his second and glorious advent the Christian church
must fix her eye in the day of her calamities.
16. It is burnt with fire : it is cut doion, or, dug up : they perish at the rer
buke of thy countenance.
The sad estate of the vineyard is 5^et again set forth, to excite the
compassion of Heaven. As to the latter clause of this verse, if it
be rendered as our translators have rendered it, in the present time,
it seems to relate to the Israelites, and the destruction made amongst
them by the wTath of God. If it have a future rendering, " they
shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance," it may be supposed
to predict the fate of the adversaries, when God should deliver his
people out of their hands. ^
17. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of many
whom thou modest strong for thyself.
These phrases "the man of thy right hand," and "the son of
man," if at all applicable, in a lower and subordinate sense, to a tem-
poral king of Israel, considered as a representative of Messiah, are
most certainly, in their full and prophetical acceptation, intended to
denote King Messiah himself.* Assured of his coming, the church
prayeth that the " hand," the protection and the power of Jehovah
might be " upon" him, over him, and with him, in his great under-
taking finally to deliver her out of all her troubles, and to " lead her
captivity captive."
18. So will not we go back from thee : quicken us, and we will call upon
thy name.
The end of our redemption is, that we should serve him who hath
redeemed us, and " go back" no more to. our old sins. That soul
which hath been "quickened," and made alive by Christ, should live
to his honour and glory ; that mouth which hath been opened by
* " Virum dexterse tuse :" Davidem a te designatum et confixmatum regem, et in ejus
figura, Christum. — Bossuet.
294 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
him, can do no less than show forth his praise, and " call upon his'*
saving " name."
19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we
shall be saved. See ver. 3.
PSALM L?:XXI.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, whensoever, or by whomsoever composea, was, proba-
bly, intended to be sung at the feast of trumpets, as also at any other feast-time. It
contains, 1 — 3. an exhortation duly to observe the festivals of the church, 4, 5. as
God had appointed, who is introduced expostulating with his people, on account,
6 — 10. of his mercies, and 11, 12. their ingratitude, and 13 — 16. under the form of a
most affectionate wish, renewing his promises, on condition of their obedience.
1. Sing aloud unto God our strength : make a joyful noise unto the God of
Jacob. 2. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp
with the psaltery.
If Israelites were thus exhorted to keep their feast-days with joy
and gladness of heart ; to exalt their voices, and join together all
their sweetest instruments of music, in honour of him who had res-
cued them from the Egyptian bondage, and given them a law from
Sinai ; in what exulting strains ought we to celebrate the festivals
of the Christian church.^ With w^hat triumph of soul, and har-
mony of affections, are we bound to " sing aloud to God our strength,"
who hath redeemed us from death, and published the gospel from
Sion? since, as the apostle saith, " holy days, new moons, and sab-
bath days," of old " were" only " a shadow of things to come ; but
the body is of ^hrist." Col. ii. 16.
3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our sol-
emn feast-day.
In the Jewish church notice was given of feasts, jubilees, <fcc. by
sound of trumpet. All the new moons, or beginnings of months,
were observed in this manner ; see Numb. x. 1 ; but on the Septem-
ber new moon, or first day of the seventh month, was kept a great
festival, called the " feast of trumpets ;" Levit. xxiii. 24, Numb. xxix.
1 ; which probably is here intended. This September new moon
had a particular regard paid to it, because, according to the old cal-
culation, before Israel came out of Egypt it was the first new moon
in the year, which began upon this day, the first of the (afterwards)
seventh month. The tenth of the same month was the great day
of atonement ; and on the fifteenth was celebrated the feast of tab-
ernacles. See Levit. xxiii. 27, and 34. Our Psalm, therefore, seems
to have been designed for the purpose of awakening and stirring up
the devotion of the people upon the solemn entrance of a month, in
which they were to commemorate so many past blessings prefigura-
tive of much greater blessings to come. We have now our feast-
days, our Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, &c. On these, and all
other solemn occasions, let the evangelical trumpet give a sound of
victory, of Uberty, of joy, and rejoicing ; of victory over death, of
hberty from sin, of joy and rejoicing in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 295
4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob,
5. This he ordained in Joseph, for a testimony^ when he went out through, or,
against, the land of Egypt : where I heard a language that 1 understood not.
The meaning is, that the observation of feasts, with blowing- of
trumpets, was a statute, law, or testin;iony, ordained in Joseph, or
Israel, by God himself, after he had destroyed the Egyptians, and
brought his people into the wilderness, where the law was given.
Concerning the words, "I heard a language that 1 understood not,"
it is difficult to account for the change of person ; but the sense seems
to be, that the children of Israel received the law, when they had
been in bondage under a people of strange and barbarous language,
or dialect. The passage is exactly parallel to that in Psal. cxiv. 1 :
" When Israel went out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from a
people of strange language," &c. — The new law, with its sacra-
ments and ordinances, was promulged after the spiritual redemption:
by Christ ; as the old law, with its rites and ceremonies, was pub-
lished, after the temporal deliveiance by Mt>ses.
6. I removed, his shoulder from the burden ; his hands were delivered from,
the pots.
From this verse to the end, it is plain that God is the speaker.
He reminds Israel of their redemption, by his mercy and power,
from the burdens and th§ drudgery imposed on them in Egypt.
Moses describeth their then state of servitude, by saying, " The
Egyptians made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and
in brick, and in all manner of service in the field ;" Exod. i. 14 ;
that is, probably, in making vessels of clay, as this verse seems to
imply. Let us remember, that we have been eased of far heavier
burdens, delivered from severer task-masters, and freed from a baser
drudgery ; the intolerable load of sin, the cruel tyranny of Satan,
the vile service and bitter bondage of concupiscence.
7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee : I answered thee in the
secret place of thunder : J proved thee at the waters of Meribah.
God declares his readiness, at all times, to hear the prayers and
relieve the distresses of his people, as he did when they cried unto
him in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and received answers from the
cloudy pillar. In that deep recess he had fixed his awful throne,
and from thence, on proper occasions, he manifested his power and
glory, protecting Israel and confounding their adversaries. In Psalm
xcix. 6, it is said of " Moses, Aaron, &.c.," " They called upon the
Lord, and he answered them : he spake unto them in the cloudy
pillar ;" which passage seems exactly parallel to that in the verse
under consideration : — " Thou calledst, and — I answered thee in the
secret place of thunder." He who spake unto Israel in the cloudy
pillar hath since spoken to us by his Son : he who " proved them
at the waters of Meribah," Exod. xvii.* 6, 7, now proves us, by vari-
ous trials, in the world.
8. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee : O Israel, if thou wilt
hearken unto me ; 9. There shall no strange god be in thee y neither shall
296 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
"^
thou worship any strange god. 10. / am the Lord thy God, which brought
thee out of the land of Egypt : open thy mouth wide, and I willjiil it.
God here addresseth himself to the Israehtes, putting them in re-
membrance of that first and great commandment against idolatry ;
of his claim to their obedience, as their God and Saviour ; and of
his being both able and wiUing to satisfy the utmost desires and
wishes of such as would apply to him for blessing and comfort. Be-
hold, then, the rebellion, the ingratitude, and the folly of that man
who saith to any creature, " Thou art my god ;" who bestoweth on
the world that fear, love, and adoration which are due only to its
Creator and Redeemer ; who wasteth his days in seeking after hap-
piness, where all, by their inquietude, acknowledge that it is not to
be found.
11. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Irsael would none
of me. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust : and they walked
m their own counsels.
By the subject of an earthly prince, it is justly deemed a great
honour for his sovereign to converse with him, to counsel and advise
him : but from sinful dust and ashes, we hear the Majesty of heaven^
complaining, that he cannot obtain an audience ; no one will attend
to, or observe his salutary admonitions. When we see men enabled,
by wealth and power, to accomplish th* inordinate desires of their
hearts, and carry their worldly schemes into execution, without
meeting with any obstructions in their way, we are apt to envy their
felicity ; whereas such prosperity in wickedness is the surest mark
of divine displeasure, the heaviest punishment of disobedience, both
in individuals and communities. " My people would not hearken to
my voice, and Israel would none of me: so I gave them up unto
their own hearts' lust ; and they walked in their own counsels."
13. O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my
ways ! 14. / shoidd soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand
against their adversaries.
Such are the tender mercies of our God, that he is not only care-
ful to provide for us the means of salvation, but represents himself
as mourning with a paternal affection over his children, when their
frow^ardness and obstinacy disappoint the efforts of his love. One
cannot help observing the similitude between the complaint here ut-
tered and one which hath been since breathed forth over the same
people: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, and ye would not !"
15. T%e haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him; or,
should have failed, or, been subdued to him : but their time, i. e. the lime oT
his people, should have endured for ever.
The transgressions of the church give her enemies all their
power against her, calling the avenger from afar, and setting an
edge on the sword of the persecutor. " Where the carcase is," where
the spirit of religion is departed, and has left the body to corrupt and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 297
decay, " there the eagles are gathered together ;" all the instruments
of vengeance, terrestrial and infernal, flock, by permission, to the
prey. Had not this been the case with regard to Israel, Jerusalem
had continued to be, through all ages, what she was in the days of
Solomon, the delight of the nations, and the joy of the whole earth.
16. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat : and with
honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
That is, the Israelites, if obedient, would still have enjoyed the
sweets of that good land, in which the Lord their God had placed
them, where the fruits of the earth were produced in the highest per-
fection, and honey streamed from the very rocks, so that no part of
the country w^as without its increase. Upon the same conditions of
faith and obedience, do Christians hold those spiritual and eternal
good things, of which the pleasant fields and fertile hills of Canaan
were sacramental. Christ is the " bread " of life, he is the " rock "
of salvation, and his promises are as " honey" to pious minds. But
they who reject him as their Lord and Master, must also lose him
as their Saviour and their reward.
SIXTEENTH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXXIl.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist addresseth himself to judges and magistrates ; 1. he re-
mindeth them of the presence of that God whom they represent, and to whom they
are accountable ; 2 — 4. he exhorteth them to the due discharge of their office ; 5. r&-
proveth the ignorance and corruption among them ; 6, 7. threateneth their fall and
punishment ; 8. prayeth for the manifestation of Messiah, and the establishment of
his righteous kingdom.
1. God standeth in the congregation of the raighty : he judgeth among the
Earthly judicatories are the appointment of God. All magistrates
act in his name, and by virtue of his commission." He is invisibly
present at their assemblies, and superintends their proceedings. He
receives appeals from their wrongful decisions ; he will one day re-
hear all causes at his own tribunal, and reverse every iniquitous sen-
tence, before the great congregation of men and angels. Unjust
judges must either disbeheve or forget all this. God is, in like
manner, present to the heart of each individual ; he is privy to the
various reasonings and pleadings of grace and nature, of piinciple
and interest, in that lesser court ; and he is a witness of its determi-
nations ; which also will by him be manifested to the world, and
openly canvassed, w^hen he sitteth in judgment.
2. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked ?
3, Defend the poor and fatherless : do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4.
Deliver the poor and needy : rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
A charge is here given, by the Spirit of God, to all magistrates,
298 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
much like that which king Jehoshaphat gave to his judges ; 2 Chron.
xix. 6, 7 : " Take heed what ye do ; for ye judge not for man, but
for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore now, let
the fear of the Lord be upon you, take heed, and do it : for there is
no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking
of gifts." It is the glory of Jehovah and his Christ, to " accept no
man's person" in judgment; to regard neither the quahty nor the
station of the offender ; but to give to every man, of whatever rank
or degree in the world, according to his works. All the sons of
Adam were once " poor and fatherless, needy and afflicted," when
God took their cause into his own hands, and, by a method con-
sistent with the strictest justice, " deUvered them out of the hand of
the wicked one." Every oppressor of the poor is a hkeness of that
" wicked one," and every upright judge will endeavour to resemble
the Redeemer. For this purpose he will be always wilhng to admit,
diligent to discuss, solicitous to expedite, the cause of a poor and in-
jured person, and to afford such an one the speediest, the cheapest,
and the most effectual redress, equally contemning the offers of
opulence and the frowns of power. A judge who acts in this man-
ner, takes the readiest w^ay to obtain the favour of God ; and the
people will be sure to bless him.
5. TTiey know not, neither will they understand ; they walk on in darkness :
all the foundations of the earth, or, the land, are out of course ; or, nod, or
shake.
We here find the prophet deploring, in magistrates, a method of
proceeding contrary to that above described. He laments their vol-
untary ignorance in the ways of righteousness, and their choosing
to " walk in darkness." In judges this is occasioned by " presents
and gifts," which, as saith the son of Sirach, " blind the eyes of the
wise." Ecclus. xx. 29. And if once the " pillars" and " founda-
tions" are moved from their integrity, and " shaken" to and fro by .
every blast of fear and favour, what shall become of the political
fabric erected upon them ? Verily it must fall ; and great and ter-
rible will be the fall thereof. ^A community, whether ecclesiastical
or civil, consisteth of great numbers ; but its w^ell-being dependeth
on a few, in whose hands the administration is placed. When the
salt hath lost its savour, the mass must putrefy ; when the hght
becometh darkness, how great must be that darkness !
6. I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.
7. But ye shall die like men, or, Adam, and fall like one of the princes.
It is true, then, that magistrates are exalted above other men ; that
they are dignified with a commission from above ; appointed to be
the vicegerents of heaven upon earth ; and therefore called by the
name of him in whose name they act. But it is likewise as true, that,
notwithstanding all this honour conferred upon them, for the good
of others and of themselves, if they use it aright, they still continue
to be the mortal sons of mortal " Adam ;" like him, they must fall
and perish : God can, at any time, cast them down from their high
estate, as he did the heathen " princes" who misbehaved themselves,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 299
-and opposed his counsels : death certainly will strip them of all their
authority, and lay them low in the grave; from thence the last
trumpet shall call them forth, to stand, with the rest of their breth-
ren, before the judgment-seat of Christ, there to take their triaK
and receive their everlasting sentence. How necessary oftentimes
is this consideration, to check the spirit of tyranny and injustice, to
qualify the pride and insolence of office !
8. Arise, O God, judge the earth : for thou shalt inherit all nations.
A view of that disorder and confusion in which frequently the
Jewish nation, as well as the rest of the world, was involved, caused
the prophets most earnestly to wish and pray for the coming of that
time when " God" should •' arise," in the person of Messiah, to visit
and "judge. the earth;" to deliver it from the powers of darkness,
and the tyranny of sin ; to " inherit all nations,^' as purchased and
redeemed by him ; to establish his church among them ; and to rule
with a sceptre of righteousness in the hearts of his people, " Arise"
yet once again, O Lord Jesu, from thy throne, where thou sittest at
the right hand of the Father ; "judge the earth," again corrupted
and overwhelmed with iniquity ; do away sin, and put an end for
ever to the power of Satan ; " inherit all nations," redeemed from
death and ransomed from the grave ; and reign to eternity, King
of Righteousness, Peace, and Glory.
PSALM LXXXIII.
-ARGUENT. — In this Psalm the church, 1 — 8. complaineth to God of the insolence,
subtilty, rage, and malice of her enemies, united in close confederacy against her ;
9 — 12. she prayeth for a manifestation of that power which formerly discomfited
Jabin, Sisera, and the Midianites ; that so the hostile nations, 13 — 15. made sensible
of the superiority of Israel's God, 16 — 18. might either themselves be induced to ac-
knowledge him, or else, by their destruction, become a warning and admonition to
others. As, while the world endureth there will be a church, and while there is a
church she will have her enemies, who are to increase upon hei* as the end approach-
eth, this Psalm can never be out of date. And to the spiritual adversaries of his
soul, every private Christian may apply it at all times.
1. Keep not thou silence, O God : hold not thy peace, and he not still, O
God. 2. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult : and they that hate thee have
lifted up their head.
The church entreateth God again and again to hear and help her
in the day of trouble. Her enemies and haters are here said to be
the enemies and haters of God, because Christ and the church, like
man and wife, are one ; they have one common interest ; they have
the same friends and the same foes. To him therefore she applieth,
terrified by the tumultuous noise of confederated nations, roaring
against her like the roaring of the sea, and "Ufting up their heads,"
as so many monsters of the deep, to devour her at once. When
temptations are urgent upon the soul, and the passions rise in arms
against her peace and innocence, then do " the enemies of God make
a tumult, and they that hate him lift up their heads ;" and then is
the time for her to be instant in prayer.
360 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people^ and consulted against
thy hidden ones. 4. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from be-
ing a nation ; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
The combinatiorij so much dreaded, is described as having been
formed upon the best principles of secular policy, with much sub-
tilty, and the most determinate malice, against the " people" of God,
and his '• hidden ones ;" that is, his peculiar nation, separated from
the world, and taken under the cover and protection of his wings.
To root up the plantations of paradise, to extirpate the holy seed, to
extinguish the very " name of Israel," was the scheme intended by
these associated adversaries of Sion. Such are our spiritual enemies ;
such is their cunning, their rage, and their resolution : what pru-
dence, what vigilance, what courage are necessary, that we may-
oppose them with success !
5. For they have consulted together with one consent ; they are confederate
against thee.
When Christ was about to be crucified, it is observed by St. Luke
that " the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together ;
for before they were at enmity between themselves." Luke, xxiii.
12. And however the enemies of the church may quarrel with one
another, when they have nothing else to do, yet if a favourable op-
portunity offer itself for making an attack upon her, they lay aside
their differences, and unite as one man ; by no means refusing the
friendly aid even of infidels and atheists, who are always ready to
join in carrying on the war against the common adversary.
6. The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites : of Moab, and the Hag-
arenes ; 7. Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek ; the Philistines, with t?ie inhab-
itants of Tyre : 8. Assur also is joined with them ; they have holpen the chil-
dren of Lot.
These are the names of the confederates. The Edomites^ were
descended from Esau, that old original enemy of Jacob ; the Ish-
maelites from Ishmael, the son of the bond- woman, and sworn foe
to Isaac, heir of the promises ; the Moabites sprang from Moab, one
of the incestuous children of Lot ; the Hagarenes were other de-
scendants of Hagar ; who the Gebalites were is uncertain ; the Am-
monites came from Ammon, the son of Lot, and incestuous brother
of Moab ;* the Amalekites were the progeny of Amalek, the grand-
son of Esau ; Gen. xxvi. 16. The Philistines and Tyrians are
well known ; and to complete all, Assur, or the power of Assyria,
was called in by the children of Lot, the Moabites and Ammonites,
to assist in the great work of exterminating Israel from the face of
the earth. These were the ten nations banded together, by a solemn
league and covenant, against the people of God. And as Israel was
the grand figure of the Christian church, which is now " the Israel
of God," so her enemies are often represented by the above-recited
nations, and in prophetical language are called by their names.
Every age has its Edomites, and its Ishmaelites, &c. &^c. The
actors are changed, and the scenes are shifted ; but the stage and
the drama continue the same.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 301
9. Do unto them as unto the Midianites : as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the
brook of Kison : 10. Which 'perished at Endor: they became as dung for
the earth. 11. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb : yea, all their princes
as Zeba and Zalmunna : 12. Who said, Let its take to ourselves the houses
of God in possession.
The church, having recounted the enemies which compassed her
about on every side, looks up for succour to that Ahnighty power
which had of old so graciously interposed on her behalf, and rescued
her from her persecutors, in the days of Deborah, Barak, and Gideon.
See Judg. iv. viii. Fully sensible tliat those deliverances were
wrought by the immediate hand of Jehovah, she offers the prayer
of faith for a hke manifestation of his glory, and a hke victory over
those who intended, in the same manner, to seize and devour his
inheritance. Of how great use and comfort are the Old Testament
histories to us in all our afflictions !
13. O my God, make them like a wheel; or, like thistle-down ; as the stul>-
ble before the wind. 14. As the fire bumeth a wood, and as the fame setteth
the mountains on fire; 15. So persecute, or, thou shall pursue, them with thy
tempest, and make, or, thou shall Tnake, them afraid with thy storm.
The fate of those is here predicted who invade the inheritance of
Jehovah, and say, " Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in.
possession." The inconstancy and mutability of their fortunes is
resembled to " thistle-down," or some such light revolving body, and
to " stubble" or chaff, whirled about and dissipated by the " wind :"
the suddenness, horror, and universality of their destruction are set
forth by the similitude of a " fire" consuming the dry trees in a
" forest," or some combustible matter on the " mountains." Such is
the storm and tempest of God's indignation, which pursues and ter-
rifies the sacrilegious and ungodly.
16. Fill their faces with shame ; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.
17. Let them, or, they shall, be confounded and troubled for ever ; yea, let them,
or, they shall, be put to shame and perish. 18. That men may know that thou,
whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.
The punishments inflicted by heaven upon wicked men are pri-
marily intended to humble and convert them. If they continue in-
corrigible under every dispensation of merciful severity, they are at
last cut off, and finally destroyed ; that others, admonished by their
example, may repent and return, and give glory to God. Salutary
are the afflictions which bring men, and happy the men who are
brought by them, to an acknowledgment of " Jehovah our Right-
eousness," our exalted and glorified Redeemer, " the Most High over
all the earth ;" whom all must acknowledge, and before whom all
must appear to be judged, in the great and terrible day.
PSALM LXXXIV.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, for the subject-matter of it, bears a resemblance to tho
sixty -second. Under the figure of an Israelite, deprived of all access to Jerusalem
and the sanctuary, (whether it were David when driven away by Absalom, or any
3&Z A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
other person in like circumstances at a different time,) we are presented with, 1, 2. the-
earnest longing of a devout soul after the house and presence of God ; 3 — 7. a beau-
tiful and passionate eulogy on the blessedness of his ministers and servants ; 8 — 10. a
fervent prayer for a participation of that blessedness ; and, 11, 12. an act of faith
in his power and goodness, which render him both able and willing to grant request*
of this nature.
1. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts !
Thus ardently doth a banished Israehte express his love for Sion,
his admiration of the beauty of holiness. Nay, Balaam himself,
"when from the top of Peor he saw the children of Israel abiding in
their tents, with the glory in the midst of them, could not help ex-
claiming, " How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles,
O Israel!" Numb. xxiv. 5. " How amiable," then, may the Chris-
tian say, are those eternal mansions from whence sin and sorrow are
excluded ; how goodly that camp of the saints, and that beloved
city, where righteousness and joy reign triumphant, and peace and
unity are violated no more ; where thou, O blessed Jesu, " Lord of
hosts," King of men and angels, dwellest in glorious majesty, consti-
tuting by thy presence the felicity of thy chosen !
2. My soul longeth, yea, even fainleth, for the courts of the Lord: my Jieart
and 7ny flesh crieth oat, or, shouteth, for the living God.
It is said of the Queen of Sheba, that upoh beholding the pleasant-
ness of Jerusalem, the splendour of Solomon's court, and, above all,
the magnificence of the temple, with the services therein performed,
"there was no more spirit in her." 1 Kings x. 5. What wonder,
therefore, if the soul should be affected, even to sickness and faint-
ing, while, from this land of her captivity, she beholdeth by faith the
heavenly Jerusalem, the city and court of the great King, with all
the transporting glories of the church triumphant; while, in her
meditations, she draweth the comparison between her wretched state
of exile upon earth, and the unspeakable blessedness of being de-
livered from temptation and affliction, and admitted into the ever-
lasting "courts of Jehovah?" Whose "heart and flesh" doth not
exult, and " shout " aloud for joy, at a prospect of rising from the bed
of death, to dwell with " the living God ;" to see the fdce of him, " in
whom is life, and the life is the hght of men ?" John i. 4. Did the
Israelites, from all parts of Judea, go up, with the voice of jubilee, to
keep a feast at Jerusalem ; and shall Christians grieve, when the
time is come for them to ascend, and to celebrate an eternal festival
in heaven ?
3. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow, or, ringdove, a
nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of
hosts, my King and my God.
The Psalmist is generally suppsed, in this verse, to lament his
unhappiness, in being deprived of all access to the tabernacle, or
temple, a privilege enjoyed even by the birds, who were allowed to
build their nests in the neighbourhood of the sanctuary. It is evi-
dently the design of this passage to intimate to us, that in the house,
and at the altar of God, a faithful soul findeth freedom from care
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. %9&
and sorrow, quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit ; like a bird that
had secured a little mansion for the reception and education of her
young. And there is no heart, endued with sensibihty, which doth
not bear its testimony to the exquisite beauty and propriety of this
affecting image.
4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will 6e, or, are, still prais-
ing thee.
Here the metaphor is dropped, and the former sentiment expressed
in plain language. '• Blessed are " not the mighty and opulent of
the earth, but " they that dwell in thy house," the ministers of the
eternal temple in heaven, the angels and the spirits of just men
made perfect ; there every passion is resolved into love, every duty
into praise ; hallelujah succeeds hallelujah ; " they are still," still for
ever, " praising thee." And blessed, next to them, are those minis-
ters and members of the church here below who, in disposition as
well as employment, do most resemble them.
5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee : in whose heart are the ways
of them; Heb. the ways are in the heart of them.
Not only they are pronounced blessed who "dwell" in the tem-
ple, but all they also who are travelling thitherward, (as the whole
Jewish nation was wont to do three times in a year,) and who are
therefore meditating on their "journey," and on "the way" which
leadeth to the holy city, trusting in God to " strengthen," and pros-
per, and conduct them to the house of his habitation, the place where
his gfory dwelleth. Such a company of sojourners are Christians,
going up to the heavenly Jerusalem ; such ought to be their trust ia
God, and such the subject of their thoughts.*
6. Who, passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well : the rain also
flleih the pools. 7. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in
Zion appear eth before God ; or, the God of gods appeareth, i. e. to them in
Zion.
After numberless uncertain conjectures offered by commentators
upon the construction of these two verses, it seems impossible for us
to attain to any other than a general idea of their true import ; which
is this, that the Israelites, or some of them, passed, in their way to
Jerusalem, through a valley that had the name of " Baca," a noun
derived from a verb which signifies to "weep ;" that in this valley
they were refreshed by plenty of water ; that with renewed vigour
they proceeded from stage to stage, until they presented themselves
before God in Zion. The present world is to us this valley of weep-
* In ejus animo versantur semitsB ferentes ad templura quo properat. Morali sensu ;
quicunque sanctus est, quotidie in priora extenditur, et praeteritorum obliviscitur, cum
Paulo, Phil. iii. 13. — Bossuet. Jerusalem is represented in the New Testament as a
type of heaven. I see nothing irrational, therefore, in supposing that the inspired
writer, in describing the ascent to Jerusalem, might have in view also that spiritual"
progress leading to the city which is above, the mother of us all. The words before ua
are certainly very applicable to the advances made in this progress, from strength to
strength, from one stage of Christian perfection to another. — Merrick.
304 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
ing ; in our passage through it we are refreshed by the streams of
divine grace, flowing down from the great fountain of consolation ;
and thus are we enabled to proceed from one degree of hohness to
another, until we come to the glorified vision of God in heaven itself.
Mr. Merrick's poetical version of this passage is extremely beautiful,
and applies at once to the case of the Israehte, and to that of the
Christian : —
Blest who, their strength on thee reclined,
Thy seat explore with constant mind,
And, Salem's distant towers in view,
With active zeal their way pursue :
Secure, the thirsty vale they tread,
While call'd from out their sandy bed,
(As, down in grateful showers distill'd,
The heavens their kindliest moisture yield,)
. The copious springs their steps beguile
And bid the cheerless desert smile.
From stage to stage advancing still.
Behold them reach fair Sion's hill,
And, prostrate at her hallow'd shrine,
Adore the Majesty divine.
8, O hord God of hosts, hear my prayer : give e«r, O God of Jacob. 9. Be-
hold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
After extolling the happiness of those who dwelt in the temple,
and of those who had access to it, the Psalmist breaks forth into a
most ardent prayer to his God, for a share in that happiness. He
addresseth him as " the Lord of hosts," almighty in power ; as " the
God of Jacob," infinite in mercy and goodness to his people ; as
their " shield," the object of all their trust for defence and protection ;
and beseecheth him to " look upon the face of his anointed," that is,
of David, if he were king of Israel when this Psalm was written;*
or rather of Messiah,* in whom God is always well pleased ; for
whose sake he hath mercy upon us, through whose name and merits
our prayers are accepted, and the kingdom of heaven is opened to
all believers.
10. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand : I had rather be
a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of vncked-
ness.
One day spent in meditation and devotion, affordeth a pleasure
far, far superior to that which an age of worldly prosperity could
give. Happier is the least and lowest of the servants of Jesus, than
the greatest and most exalted potentate who knoweth him not. And
he is no proper judge of blessedness, who hesitates a moment to pre-
fer the condition of a penitent in the porch, to that of a sinner on
the throne. If this be the case upon earth, how much more in hea-
ven ? O come that one glorious day, whose sun shall never go
down, nor any cloud obscure the lustre of his beams ; that day
when the temple of God shall be opened in heaven, and we shall
be admitted to serve him for ever therein !
* " Christi tui ;" regis, qui figura. — Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 305
11. Far the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and
-glory : no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Jesus Christ is our "Lord," and our "God;" he is a "sun" to
enlighten and direct us in the way, and a "shield" to protect us
against the enemies of our salvation ; he will give " grace" to carry
us on "from strength to strength," and "glory" to crown us when
we " appear before him in Zion ;" he will " withhold" nothing that
is "good" and profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will
himself be our reward when we come to the end of it.
12. O Lord of fiosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
While, therefore, we are strangers and sojourners here below, far
from that heavenly country where we would be, in whom should
we trust to bring us to the holy city, new Jerusalen), of which the
Liord God and the Lamb are the temple, but in thee, O Saviour and
Redeemer, who art the head of every creature, the Captain of the
armies of heaven and earth, the Lord of hosts, and the King of
glory ? " Blessed," thrice " blessed, is the man that trusteth in
Xheey
PSALM LXXXV.
lARGUMENT. — This Psalm, appointed by the church to be used on Christmas-day,
1 — 3. celebrateth the redemption of the Israel of God from their spiritual captivity
under sin and death ; 4 — 7. teacheth us to pray for the full accomplishment of that
redemption in ourselves ; 8 — 11. describeth the incarnation of Christ, with the joyful
meeting of mercy and truth, righteousness and peace at his birth, and, 12, 13. the
blessed effects of his advent.
1. Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back
the captivity of Jacob. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou
hast covered all their sin. 3. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath : thou hast
turned thy self /rom the fierceness of thine anger.
These three verses speak of the deliverance from captivity, as
already brought about ; whereas, in the subsequent parts of the
Psalm, it is prayed for and predicted as a thing future. To account
for this, some suppose that the Psalmist first returns thanks for a
temporal redemption, and then prophesies of the spiritual salvation
by Messiah. Others are of opinion, that the same eternal redemp-
tion is spoken of throughout, but represented, in the beginning of
the Psalm, as already accomplished in the divine decree, though the
eventual completion was yet to come. The difficulty, perhaps, may
be removed, by rendering these first three verses in the present time :
" Iiord, thou art favourable to thy land, thou bringest back the cap-
tivity of thy people," <fec. ; that is, Thou art the God whose property
it is to do this, and to show such mercy to thy people, who therefore
call upon thee for the same. But, indeed, to us Christians, who now
use the Psalm, the difference is not material ; since a part of our re-
demption is past, and a part of it is yet to come, for the hastening
of which latter we daily pray. God hath already been exceedingly
0<J
306 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
g^cious and ''favourable" to the whole "earth," in "bringing back,"'
by the resurrection of Jesus, the spiritual "captivity of" his people ;
he hath himself, in Christ, "borne" and so taken away, "the ini-
quity of his people ;" he hath " covered all their sins," that they
should no more appear in judgment against them : propitiated by
the Son of his love, he hath removed his "wrath," and "turned
himself from the fierceness of his anger." So exactly and literally
do these words describe the means and method of gospel salvation,
that a Christian can hardly affix any other ideas to them.
4. Turn us^ O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to
cease. 5. Wilt thou he angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine
anger to all generations 7 6. Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people
may rejoice in thee ? 7. Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy sal-
vaiion.
The ancient church is here introduced as petitioning for the con-
tinuation and completion of those blessings which had been men-
tioned in the foregoing verses, namely, that God would "turn" his
people from their captivity, and " cause his anger towards them to
cease ;" that he would " revive" them from sin and sorrow, and
give them occasion to " rejoice in him," their mighty deliverer ; that
he would " show them " openly that " mercy " of which they had so
often heard; and " grant them that salvation," or that " Saviour," that
Jesus, who had been so long promised to mankind. And although
it be true that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, and hath virtually
procured all these blessings for the church, yet do "w^e" still con-
tinue to pray, in the same words, for the actual apphcation of them
all to ourselves, by the conversion of our hearts, the justification of
our persons, the sanctification of our souls, and the glorification of
our bodies. For this last blessing of redemption, "the whole crea-
tion waiteth, groaning and travailing in pain together, until now."
Rom. viii. 22.
8. I will hear vAal God the Lord will speak : for he will speak peace unto his-
people, and to his saints ; bid let them not turn again to folly : or, that they
Tnay not turn again to folly.
The prophet having prayed, in the name of the church, that Je-^
hovah would "show them his mercy, and grant them his salvation,"
declares himself resolved, concerning this "salvation, to enquire and
search diligently, what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in him did signify, when it testified beforehand the com-
ing of Christ, and the glory that should follow," see 1 Pet. i. 10;
he would attend to " what God the Lord should say," and report it
to the world. Now, what was the message which the prophets had
commission to deliver from God, but that he would "speak peace,"
or reconciliation through a Saviour, " to his people and to his saints ?"
•^rhe gospel is accordingly styled by St. Peter " the word which God
sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ."
Acts, X. 36. And what was the end of this reconciliation between
God and men, but that men should become and continue the ser-
vants of God ; that, being washed from their sins by the blood of
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 307
Christ, and renewed in their minds by the grace of Christ, they
should walk in the paths of \||isdom and holiness, and " turn not
again to the folly " they had renounced ?
9. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear hinij that glory may dwell
in our land.
God, who "calleth things that be not as though they were,"
teacheth his prophets to do hkewise. The Psalmist therefore speaks
with assurance of the "Saviour," as if he then saw him before his
eyes, healing, by the word of his power, the bodies and the souls of
men upon earth, and manifesting forth his " glory," in human na-
ture, to all such as, with a holy " fear," and filial reverence, believed
on him. St. John himself hardly useth plainer language when he
saith, " The Word was made flesh, and dwelt, or tabernacled,
among us ; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begot-
ten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John, i. 14. The tSdy
of Christ was the true " tabernacle," or temple ; his Divinity was
the glory which resided there, and filled that holy place. The
church is his mystical " body ;" by his Spirit he now and ever
" dwelleth in our land ; and his salvation is always nigh them that
fear him ;" as saith the holy Virgin in her song. " His mercy is on
them that fear him, throughout all generations."
10. Mercy and truth are met together : righieousness and peace have kissed
each other. 11. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righieouness shall
look down from heaven.
These four divine attributes parted at the fall of Adam, and met
again at the birth of Christ. Mercy was ever inclined to save man,
and Peace could not be his enemy ; but Truth exacted the perform-
ance of God's threat, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die ;" and
Righteousness could not but give to every one his due. Jehovah
must be true in all his ways, and righteous in all his works.
Now there is no religion upon earth, except the Christian, which
can satisfy the demands of all these claimants, and restore an union
between them ; which can show how God's word can be true, and
his work just, and the sinner, notwithstanding, find mercy, and ob-
tain peace. Mahomet's prayer, were it the prayer of a righteous
man and a prophet, could not satisfy divine justice : the blood of
bulls and goats were always jnsufiicient for that purpose, being a
figure only for the time then present, which ceased of course when
the reality appeared. "Sacrifice and burnt-oflfering thou wouldest
not ; then said I, Lo, I come." A God incarnate reconciled all things
in heaven and earth. When Christ appeared in our nature, the pro-
mise was fulfilled, and " Truth sprang out of the earth." And now
Righteousness, " looking down from heaven," beheld in him every
thing that she required; an undefiled birth, a holy life, an innocent
death ; a spirit and a mouth without guile, a soul and a body without
sin. She saw, and was satisfied and returned to earth. Thus all the
four parties met again in perfect harmony : Truth ran to Mercy, and
embraced her ; Righteousness to Peace, and kissed her. And this
308 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
could happen only at the birth of Jesus, in whom " the tender mercy
of our God visited us, and who is tke truth ; who is made unto us
righteousness, and who is our peace." See Luke, i. 78 ; John, xiv.
6 ; 1 Cor. i. 30; Ephes. ii. 14. Those that are thus joined, as attri-
butes, in Christ, ought not, as virtues, to be separated in a Christian,
who may learn how to resemble his blessed Lord and Master, by ob-
serving that short but complete rule of life comprehended in the few
following words : — Show mercy, and speak truth : do righteousness,
and follow peace. See St. Bernard, in his sermon on the Annun-
ciation ; and, from him. Bishop Andrews on these two verses of our
Psalm.*
12. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good ; and our land shall yield
her increase.
Unless God vouchsafe a gracious rain from above, the earth can-
not " yield her increase." The effects of the incarnation of Christ,
the descent of the Spirit, and the publication of the gospel among
men, are frequently set forth in Scripture under images borrowed
from that fruitfulness caused in the earth by the rain of heaven.
Thus Isaiah : " Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let th^
skies pour down righteousness : let the earth open, and let them
bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together," xlv.
8. " 1 will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground : I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thine offspring. And they shall spring up as among the grass,
as willows by the watercourses," xliv. 3. " As the rain cometh down
from heaven, and watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and
bud ; so shall my word be," (fee, Iv. 10. Give us evermore, O Lord,
" that which is good, that our land may yield her increase ;" give
us that' good gift, the gift of thy Spirit, that we be "neither barren
nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2
Pet. i. 8.
13. Righteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way of his
steps ; or, and shall set his steps in the way.
Upon the appearance of the Redeemer, " Righteousness" is repre-
sented " as going before him," like his harbinger the Baptist, to pre-
pare and make ready his way. In that way, the way of righteous-
ness, " he set his steps," and walketh therein, w^ithout the least
deviation, until he had finished his appointed course. Draw us,
blessed Jesu, and we will run after thee, in the path of life ; let thy
mercy pardon us, thy truth enlighten us, thy righteousness direct us,
to follow thee, O Lamb of God, whithersoever thou goest, through
poverty, affliction, persecution, and death itself; that our portion
may be for ever in thy kingdom of peace and love.
* Soluta, captivitate, felicem populi statum designat, omni bonorum copia, et virtuti-
bus florentis ; quae maximfe impleta sunt, postquam Christus, ipsa Veritas, idemque pax
nostra, tent ortus est. — Bossuet
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 309
SEVENTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXXVI.
ARGUMENT.— This Psalm is entitied, " A prayer of David," and supposed to have
been written in some of his great distresses. Like others of the same kind, it is cal-
culated for the use of the church during her su5erings here below, by which she is
conformed to the image of the true David, that man of sorrows. It contains, 1. an
earnest supplication, grounded on the poverty, 2. the holiness, faith, 3. importunity,
and, 4. the devotion, of the suppliant ; and on, 5 — 7. the goodness, and, 8. power of
God, 9, 10. to be one day acknowledged by all nations, at their conversion. After
this, follows, 11. a petition for wisdom, strength, and singleness of heart ; 12, 13. a
thanksgiving for redemption ; 14. a complaint of persecution from the wicked ; 15. an
act of faith ; 16, 17. a prayer for help and salvation.
1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me : for I am poor and needy.
All prayer is founded on a sense of our own wants, and God's
ability to supply them. In the sight of his Maker, every sinner is
" poor and needy ;" and he must become so in his own, that his
petitions may be regarded ; he must pray with the humility and
importunity of a starving beggar, at the gate of heaven, if he expect
the great King " to bow down his ear and hear him." " The prayer
of the humble," saith the wise son of Sirach, '• pierceth the clouds ;
and till it come nigh, he will not be comforted ; and will not depart
till the Most High shall behold." Ecclus. xxxv. 17. The blessed
Jesus, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, and had
not where to lay his head ;" nor is it to be doubted, but that, in his
state of humiliation, he oftentimes made his prayer to the Father in
these very words : " Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me ;
for I am poor and needy." If he sued in such a form of words for
us, shall we think of suing in any other form for ourselves ?
2. Preserve thou my soul, for I am holy : O thou my God, save thy servant^
that irusteth in thee.
The word here translated " holy," is, "^^cn, the same which is used
in the 16th Psalm : " Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption." And indeed, if we understand " holiness" in its strict
sense, no one but " he whom the Father sanctified, and sent into
the world," to redeem lost man, could say to him, "Preserve my
soul, for 1 am holy." But the word properly signifies, " good, mer-
ciful, pious, devoted to the service of God," (fee. The Christian,
therefore, only pleads, in this expression, his relation to Christ, as
being a member of Christ's body, the church, and a partaker of the
gifts, which, by virtue of that membership, he has received through
the Spirit of holiness. So that this first part of the verse, " Preserve
my soul, for I am holy," when repeated by us, is equivalent to another
passage in the Psalms. " I am thine, O save me," cxix, 94. The
latter member of the verse under consideration teaches us to pray
for help and salvation, as the " servants" of God, whose eyes there-
fore look naturally to him, " as the eyes of servants," in aflliction,
"look unto the hand of their masters." Psal. cxxiii. 2. And
310 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
happy, surely, are we in a Master, who himself, for our salvation,
once lived, and prayed, and suffered, and died, in " the form of a
servant." Phil. ii. 7.
3. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, /or I cry unto thee daily.
There is no man upon tlie earth but needeth " mercy ;" he who
is truly sensible of his need will " cry daily" for it ; and he who doth
so may comfort himself with the hope of obtaining it. The prayers
of Jesus, poured forth for the salvation of his mystical body, in the
days of his flesh, were frequent and mighty ; his intercession for us
in heaven is continual. Does the man believe this, who prays not
at all, or who prays without devotion ?
4. Rejoice the soul of thy servant ; for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my
soul.
Sorrow was the portion of Christ in this world, and the church
hath no reason to expect any other from it. He that would have
real "joy" in his heart, must beseech God to give it him, for no crea-
ture hath it to give. Nay, the love of the world must be renounced,
before this divine gift can even be " received." The affections must
be loosened from earth, and " lifted up" to heaven, on the wings of
faith and love ; for in the soul that is full of sensual pleasures and
indulgences, there is neither room nor taste for spiritual delights.
5. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive: and plenteous in mercy
unto all them that call upon thee.
We are encouraged to " lift up our souls to God" in prayer, be-
cause his " goodness," and the " plenteousness of his mercy" in Christ
Jesus, inchne him to give his holy Spirit of peace and comfort to
" all that call upon him." His favour is no longer confined to Judea ;
there is now no distinction of age, condition, or country : but the
linner, whoever or wherever he be, if he call upon the saving name
of Jesus, is heard, pardoned, and accepted, upon the terms of the
evangelical covenant.
6. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer ; and attend to the voice of my sup-
plications. 7. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee ; for thou wilt
answer me.
In confidence of an " answer," nourished and strengthened by all
the foregoing considerations, the suppliant renews his prayer, while
" the day of trouble" lasts ; and that day will not end, but with this
mortal pilgrimage ; since he who loves his country, will ever be un-
easy while he is detained among strangers and enemies, perils and
temptations. But the trouble is overpaid with profit, which render-
eth us adepts in the practice of devotion, which convinceth us that
we are abroad, and maketh us to wish and sigh for our true and
only home.
8. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord ; neither are there
any works like unto thy works.
Another reason why supplication should be made to Jehovah, is
his infinite superiority over all those that, by infatuated men, were
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 311
^•ever called "gods." From the ancient idolatry, wliich taught ado-
ration to the sun, moon, and stars, to the light and the air, we have
been delivered by the gospel : nor do we au}^ any longer profess to
worship Jupiter, and the other heathen gods and goddesses. But do
not many still trust in idols, and have they not, in effect, other ob-
jects of worship, from whose hands they expect their reward ? Are
not the hearts of the covetous, the ambitious, the voluptuous, so
many temples of Mammon or Plutus, of Jupiter or Mars, of Bacchus,
Comus, and Venus ? But what are these deities ; what is their
power, and what are their gifts? What is the whole world, and all
that is therein, v/hen compared with its Maker and Redeemer^
What is it when applied to, for the ease and comfort of a wounded
spirit? — "Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord j
neither are there any w^orks like unto thy works !"
9. All nations whom thou hast ni.ade, shall come and worship before tliee, O
Lord ; and shall glorify thy name.
The Psalmist predicteth that this superiority of Jehovah should
one day be acknowledged throughout all the earth, when "neither
dn Jerusalem only, nor in the mount of the Samaritans," but in every
place, "should men worship the Father;" John iv. 21; when he
who " made all nations" by his Son, should by that Son redeem all
nations, bringing them from the world to the church, there to "wor-
ship before" the true God, and " in songs of praise to glorify his
holy name." If in these our times, we behold the nations again
falling away from God, departing from the purity of their faith, and
leaving their first love, let us comfort ourselves by looking forward
to that scene of things described by St. John, in which we hope to
bear a part hereafter : " I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which
no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands ; and cried with a loud voice,'
saying. Salvation unto our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb." Rev. vii. 9.
10. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things ; thou art God alone.
" Great" is Jehovah in his power, in his wisdom, in his mercy ;
" wonderful" in the creation of the world ; wonderful in the preser-
vation and the government of it ; wonderful in its redemption ; won-
derful in the incarnation, hfe, death, resurrection, and ascension of
Jesus, in the descent of the Spirit, the propagation of the gospel, the
sufferings of saints, and the conversion of, sinners ; most wonderful
will he be when he shall raise the dead, judge the world, condemn
the wicked, and glorify the righteous. And then shall every tongue
confess, " Thou art God alone !"
11. Teach me thy way, O Lord ; I mil walk in thy truth : unite my heart
to fear thy name.
It is the continual subject of the Mediator's intercession above,
. and of our prayers below, that we may be " taught the way of Je-
312 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
hovah," the way to life eternal, prepared for us, through faith and^
love which is in Christ Jesus ; that being so taught, we may Hke-
wise be enabled " to walk in the truth," without error in doctrine, or
deviation from duty ; believing all things whicli God hath revealed,
and doing whatsoever he hath commanded us : that the affections
of the " heart" may be withdrawn from other objects, and, being no
longer divided between God and the world, become " united" in the
filial " fear of his name," as the grand principle of action.
12. / iDill praise thee, O Lord, my God, with all my heart • and I will
glorify thy name for evermore. 13. For great is thy mercy toicard me : and '
thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Gratitude for mercies already received, will obtain a continuance
and increase of those mercies. The church is never in so afflicted a
state, but she hath still reason to intermingle hallelujahs with her
hosannas, and, in the midst of her most fervent prayers, to "praise
the Lord her God with all her heart, and to glorify his name for
evermore ;" since whatever she may suffer upon earth, (and even
those sufferings will turn to her advantage,) " great," most undoubt-
edly, "hath his mercy been toward" her, in "delivering" her, by the
resurrection of Jesus from the bondage of sin, the dominion of death,
and the bottomless pit of " hell."
14. O God, the proud are rise?! against me, and the assemblies of violent '
men have sought after my soul ; and have not set thee before their eyes.
From praises we return again to prayers. When Christ was upon
earth, we know the treatment he met with from " proud and violent
men, who had not set God before their eyes ;" from self-righteous
Jews, and conceited Gentiles, who rose up, and took counsel together
against him. What his church afterwards suffered at the hands of
the same enemies is likewise well known. How much more she is
to undergo in her latter days we know not as yet ; but this we do
know, that the spirit of the world stands, now and ever, in opposition
to the Spirit of God ; its design is always the same, although its
methods of working be divers. Nor can we be ignorant of those do-
mestic adversaries, that assembly of haughty and turbulent passions,
which are continually making insurrections, and destroying the
peace of the soul. So that either from without, or from within, every
one, who is a Christian in deed, shall be sure to have his portion of
tribulation.
15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious; long
suffering, and plenteous in goodness and tjnith.
Having taken a view of those that are against us, it is now time
to look up to those that are with us. And can we have better friends
than all these gracious and favourable attributes of heaven 7 Can
more comfortable and joyful tidings be brought us, than that God
loveth us with a father's love; that he is ready to pardon, slow toc
anger ; and that we have his truth pledged for the performance of
his mercy? What a fountain of consolation is here opened for the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 31^
afflicted Christian ! " Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and
remember his misery no more." Prov. xxxi. 7.
16. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me ; give thy strength unto thy
servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
On the consideration of the above-mentioned attributes, a petition
is in this verse put up to God, that he would "turn" his face towards
us ; that he would of his " mercy" pardon us, by his grace " strength-
en" us, and by his power "save" us from all our adversaries.
Every Christian is the " servant of God," and " the son of his hand-
maid," the church ; which may say, in the same spirit of humility
and obedience with the blessed Yirgin, " Behold the handmaid of the
Lord."
17. Show me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it, and be
ashamed ; because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Many outward signs and " tokens " of the divine favour were in
old time vouchsafed to patriarchs, prophets, and kings of Israel.
The law itself was a collection of external and sacramental figures
of grace and mercy. All these centred and had their accomplish-
ment in that grand and everlasting sign and token of God's love to
man, the incarnation of Christ, which all faithful people from the
beginning wished and prayed for. On this sign the Christian looks
with joy, as the great proof that God has " holped him and com-
forted him ;" while his faith in it doth not fail, he hath the witness
in himself, and his actions declare as much to all around him ;
"that they which hate him may be ashamed" and converted, be-
fore that day come when shame shall be fruitless, and conversion
impossible.
PSALM LXXXVIL
ARGUMENT.— The prophet, 1 — 3. celebrates the stability and felicity of Sion ;
4,5. foretels the accession of the Gentiles to her, and, 6. their enrolment amonff her
citizens ; 7. extols her as the fountain of ^race and salvation. The Psalm was prob-
ably penned on a survey of the city of David, just after the buildings of it were
finished.
1. His foundation is in the holy mountains: or, It is his, i. e. God's founda-
tion in the mountains of holiness .'* 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more
tlian all the dwellings of Jacob.
The Psalmist, after having meditated on the strength, the beauty,
and the glory of Jerusalem, being smitten with the love of the holy
city, and imagining the thoughts of his hearers or readers to have
been employed on the same subject, breaks forth at once in this
abrupt manner, " It is his foundation on the holy mountains." By
* Some commentators suppose this verse to be a part of the title, which will then
run thus : " For the sons of Korah, a Psalm ; a song, when he laid the foundation on
the holy mountains."
40
314 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
*' the holy mountains " are meant those hills of Judea which Jeho-
vah had chosen, and separated to himself from all others, whereon
to construct the highly favoured city and temple. As the dwellings
of Jacob in the promised land were beloved by him more than the
dwellings of other nations, so he " loved the gates of Sion more than
all the dweUings of Jacob." Jerusalem was exalted and fortified by
its situation ; but much more so by the protection of the Almighty.
What Jerusalem was, the Christian church is; "built" by God "on
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself be-
ing the chief corner-stone ; in whom all the building, fitly framed
together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." Ephes. ii. 20.
It is " his foundation in the holy mountains ;" she is beloved of God
above the kingdoms and empires of the earth, which rise and fall
only to fulfil the divine counsels concerning her. When those coun-
sels shall be fulfilled in the salvation of all believers, the wqrld, which
subsists only for their sake, will be at an end.
3. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.
As the prophet began in a rapture to speak of the holy city, so
now, in fresh transport, he changes the person, and suddenly ad-
dresses himself to it. The old Jerusalem was " the city of God,
and glorious things were therefore said of it" by the Spirit. Pleasant
for situation, and magnificent in its buildings, it Avas the delight of
nations, the joy of the whole earth ; there was the royal residence
of the kings of Judah ; there was the temple, and the ark, and the
glory, and the King of heaven dwelling in the midst of her : her
streets were honoured with the footsteps of the Redeemer of men ;
there he preached and wrought his miracles, lived, died, and rose
again ; thither he sent down the Spirit, and there he first laid the
foundations of his church. To know what " glorious things" are
said of the new Jerusalem, the reader must peruse Isa. Ix. and Rev.
xxi. xxii.
4. / will make mention of Bahab, or, Egypt and Babylon, to them that
know me : Behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia, or, Arabia, this man
was born there. 5. And of Sio7i it shall be said. This and that man was
born in her; and the Highest himself shall establish her.
The accession of the nations to the church is generally supposed
to be here predicted. God declares by his prophet, " I will make
mention of," or " cause to be remembered, Egypt and Babylon," the
old enemies of Israel, " to" or " among them that know me ;" that
is, in the number of my worshippers : " Behold" also " Philistia and
Tyre, with Arabia ;" these are become mine ; " this," or each of
these, " is born there," i. e. in the city of God ; they are become
children of God, and citizens of Sion ; so that " of Sion," or the
church, "it shall be said, This and that man," Heb. " a man and a
man,"* i. e. great numbers of men in succession, " are born in her ;"
* Dr. DureU renders ©"^Nl "O^n, " The man, even the man," that is, " The man of
men ;" or, " The greatest of all men." The reduplication, he thinks, according to the
original phraseology, must mean the superlative or highest degree. He adds, accord-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 315
alluding to the multitudes of converts under the gospel, the sons of
that Jerusalem, " which is the mother of us all ;" Gal. iv. 26 : " and
the Highest himself shall establish her ;" as he saith, " Upon this
rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it." Matt. xvi. 18.
6. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people^ that this man was
horn there.
In the book of life, that register of heaven, kept by God himself,
our names are entered, not as born of flesh and blood by the will of
man, but as born of water and the Spirit by the will of God ; of each
person it is written, " that he was born there," in the church and
city of God. That is the only birth which we ought to value our-
selves upon, because that alone gives us our title to "the inheritance
of the saints in light." In Jesus Christ there is neither Greek nor
Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, noble
nor ignoble, " bond nor free ; but Christ is all, and in all." Col.
iii. 11.*
7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there ; all my
springs are in thee.
The literal version of the words, as Dr. Chandler observes, seems
to be, "Cantantes erunt, sicut choream ducentes : omnes fontes mei
in te." " They shall sing like those that lead up the dance," i. e.
most joyfully ; singing and dancing frequently accompanying one
another. And the burden of the song thus joyfully sung in praise
of Sion, was to be this, " All my springs," or fountains " are in thee."
And if such be indeed the incomparable excellence of the church,
and such the benefits of her communion, as they have been set
forth in the foregoing verses, what anthem better deserves to be per-
formed by all her choirs ? In thee, O Sion, is the fountain of salva-
tion, and from thee are derived all those springs of grace which flow,
by the divine appointment, while the world lasts, for the purification
and refreshment of mankind upon earth.
PSALM LXXXYIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm, as Mr. Mudge observes, may well be said to be com-
posed, according to its title, W^J'Jj to create dejection, to raise a pensive gloom or
melancholy in the mind ; the whole subject of it being quite throughout heavy, and
full of the most dismal complaints. The nature and degree of the sufferings related
ing to this interpretation, every one will see who this eminent personage was to be, from
whose birth Zion (used by a synecdoche for .Tudea) wasto acquire so much glory. The
latter hemistic — " And the Highest himself shall establish her" — seems to me to have
reference, not to God the Father, but to his Son ; it appearing to be exegetical of the
preceding one, and to describe his divine, as the other does his human nature. — Crit-
ical Remarks, p. 167.
* Dr. Durell thinks this verse relates to the pedigree of our Lord, recorded among
the Jews, and given us by the evangelists, " The Lord will have this recorded, in re-
gistering the people, that he," the TD'^Nl td'^n mentioned above, " was born there."
316 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in it ; the strength of the expressions used to describe them ; the consent of ancient
expositors ; the appointment of the Psalm by the church to be read on Good Friday j
all these circumstances concur in directing an application of the whole to our blessed
Lord. His unexampled sorrows, both in body and soul ; his desertion in the day of
trouble ; his bitter passion, and approaching death ; with his frequent and fervent
prayers for the accomplishment of the promises, for the salvation of the church,
through him, and for the manifestation of God's glory ; these are the particulars
treated of in this instructive and most affecting composition.*
1. O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee.
2. Let my prayei^ come before thee : vicline thine ear unto my cry.
We hear in these words the voice of our suffering Redeemer. As-
man, he addresseth himself to his Father, " the Lord God of his sal-
vation," from whom he expected, according to the promises, a joyful
and triumphant resurrection : he pleadeth the fervency and impor-
tunity of his prayers, offered up continually, " day and night," du-
ring the time of his humiliation and sufferings ; and he entreateth
to be heard in these his supphcations for his body mystical, as well
as his body natural ; for himself, and for us all.
3. F(yr my soid is full of troubles; and my life draweth nigh unto the
grave.
Is not this exactly parallel to what he said in the garden, " My
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death ?" " Full," indeed of
" troubles" was thy " soul," O blessed Jesus, in that dreadful hour,
when, under the united weight of our sins and sorrows, thou wert
sinking into " the grave," in order to raise us out of it. Let us judge
of thy love by thy sufferings, and of both by the impossibility of our
fully comprehending either.
4. / am counted with them that go down into the pit : I am as a man that
hath no strength.
Next to the troubles of Christ's soul, are mentionec^ the disgrace
and ignominy to which he submitted. He who was the fountain of
immortality, he from whom no one could take his life, who could in
a moment have commanded twelve legions of angels to his aid, or
have caused heaven and earth, at a word speaking, to fly away be-
fore him, he was " counted with them that go down into the pit ;" he
died, to all appearance, like the rest of mankind ; nay, he was forci-
bly put to death as a malefactor ; and seemed, in the hands of his
executioners, " as a man that had no strength," no power or might,
to help and to save himself. " His strength went from him ; he be-
came weak, and lilce another man." The people shook their heads
at him, saying, " He saved other, himself he cannot save."
5. Free among the dead., like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou re-
member est no more ; and they are cut off from thy hand.
" Free among the dead ;" that is, set at hberty, or dismissed from
* Cum Psalmis xxii. et Ixlx. ad omnia convenit Psalmus Ixxxviii., quod argumento est,
cum eodem modo a nobis esse explicandum. Continet igitur pariter orationem Christi ad
Patrem e cruce fusam. Auctor hujus Cantici non alium in finem illi titulum dedit
J5">5ri>3, " erudientis," quam ut Ecclesia posteriorum temporum ex eo disceret ultiuxet
hsBC Messiae fata. — Vitringa, Observat. Sacr. lib. ii. cap. 9.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 317
the world, and separated from all communication with its aifairs, as
dead bodies are ; " like" otha: " corpses that lie in the grave, whom
thou rememberest no more," i. e. as living objects of providence upon
earth : in this sense, "they are cut off from God's hand,*' which held
and supported them in life. And in no other sense can these ex-
pressions be understood ; since to imagine that the Psalmist, who so
often speaks in plain terms of the resurrection, should here, when
personating Messiah, deny that doctrine, would be a conceit equally
absurd and impious.
6. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7. TTiy
wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.
The sufferings of Jesus are represented by his being plunged into
a dark and horrible abyss, with the indignation of God, due to our
sins, resting upon him, and all the waves of affliction rolling over
him. The same image is used in Psal. Ixix. and many other places.
8. TViou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me : thou hast made
me an abomination unto them : I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
At the apprehension of Christ, " All his disciples forsook him and
fled :" Matt. xxvi. 56. Peter denied and abjured his Master, as if
his acquaintance had been a disgrace, and an '' abomination :" at the
crucifixion, it is observed by St. Luke, that " all his acquaintance
stood afar off, beholding these things ;" xxiii. 49 ; beholding the in-
nocent victim environed by his enemies, and at length " shut up" in
the sepulchre. The day must come, when each person who reads
this shall be forsaken by the whole world ; when relations, friends,
-and acquaintance shall retire, unable to afford him any help and as-
sistance ; when he must die, and be confined in the prison of the
grave, no more to " come forth," until that great Easter of the world,
the general resurrection. In the solitary and awful hour of our de-
parture hence, let us remember to think on the desertion, the death,
the burial, and the resurrection of our Redeemer.
9. Mine eye mmtmeth by reason of affliction : Lord, / have called daily
upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
This verse contains a reiteration of the complaint and prayer
made at the beginning of the Psalm. These are some of the " strong
cryings with tears," which, during the course of his intercessions for
us upon earth, the Son of God poured forth" in the days of his flesh."
Heb. V. 7.
10. Wilt thou show wonders to the dead 7 shall the dead rise and praise
thee? 11. Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave, or. thy faiths
fulness in destruction 1 12. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark ? and
thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness 7
It hath been sometimes thought, that these verses imply a denial,
or at least a doubt, of the resurrection from the dead ; whereas they
contain, in reality, the most powerful plea that Christ himself, in his
prayers to the Father, could urge for it ; namely, that, otherwise,
man would be deprived of his salvation, and God of the glory thence
318 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
accruing". " Wilt thou show wonders to the dead," while they con-
tinue in that state ; or if thou shouldst, will they be sensible of those
wonders, and make thee due returns of thankfulness ? " Shall the
dead rise up" in the congregation, " and praise thee ?" Must they
not live again to do that 1 " Shall thy loving kindness" to the sons
of Adam, in me their Redeemer, " be declared ?" shall the gospel be
preached " in the grave ?" " or thy faithfulness," in accomplishing
the promises concerning this loving kindness, shall it be manifested
" in that destruction" wrought by death upon the bodies of men 1
" Shall thy wonders," the wonders of Hght, and life, and salvation,
" be known in the dark" tomb ; " and thy righteousness," which
characterizes all thy dispensations, shall it be remembered and pro-
claimed " in the land of" silence and " forgetfulness ?" A Christian,
upon the bed of sickness, may undoubtedly plead with God in this
manner, for a longer continuance of life, to glorify him here upon
earth. But every respite of that kind can be only temporary. All
men, sooner or later, must die : and then they can never more ex-
perience the mercies, or sing the praises of God, unless they rise
again. So that if the argument hold in one case, it certainly hold*
eth still stronger in the other.
13. But unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer
prevent me. 14. Lord, why easiest thou off my soul 7 why hidest thou thy
face from mel
Since therefore the wonders, the loving kindness, the faithfulness,
and the righteousness of God, cannot be manifested by man's re-
demption, if Messiah be left under the dominion of death, he re-
doubles his prayers for the promised deliverance ; and speaks of his
redemption in the hour of sorrow, as in Psalm xxii. 1 : " My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" (fee.
15. /am afflicted and ready to die from ray youth up: while I suffer thy
ieiTors, I am distracted ; Heb. / am distressed, not knowing which way to
turn myself'^ 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off.
17. They came round about me daily like water ; they compassed me about
together.
We are not to imagine that the holy Jesus suffered for us only at
Gjthsemane and on mount Calvary. His whole life was one con-
tinued passion ; a scene of labour and sorrow, of contradiction and
persecution ; " he was afflicted," as never man was, " from his youth
up," from the hour of his birth ; when, thrust out from the society
of men, he made his bed in the stable at Bethlehem ; he was "ready
to die," a victim destined and prepared for that death which by anti-
cipation, he tasted of through hfe ; he saw the flaming sword of
God's " fierce wrath" waiting to "cut him off" from the land of the
living; the "terrors" of the Almighty set themselves in array
against him, threatening, like the mountainous waves of a tempest-
uous sea, to overwhelm his amazed soul. Let not the church be
* Dominus ipse de se, Psal. Ixxxviii. 16. " Fero terrores tuos ; anirai linquor." Lo-
quitur de extremis Kuis angoribus et doloribus. — Vitringa in Jesai. iL 667.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 319
offended or despond, but rather let her rejoice in her sufferings, by
which, through every period of her existence, from youth to age, she
" filleth up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ," who
suffers and will be glorified in his people, as he hath already suffered
and been glorified for them. See Col. i. 24.
18. Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance
into darkness.
It is mentioned again, as a most affecting circumstance of Christ's
passion, that he was entirely forsaken, and left all alone, in that dread-
ful day. The bitter cup was presented filled to the brim, and he
drank it off to the dregs. No man could share in those sufferings
by which all other men were to be redeemed. His " lovers and
friends," his disciples and acquaintance, " were put far from him ;"
they all "forsook him, and fled," to hide themselves from the fury of
the Jews, " in darkness ;" in dark, i. e. secret places. Thus it is
written in the Psalms, and thus in the Gospels it is recorded to have
happened. Oftentimes, O blessed Jesu, do we forsake thee; but do
not thou forsake us, or take thy holy Spirit from us.
SEVENTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM LXXXIX.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is appointed by the church to be read on Christmas-day.
It celebrates, ver. 1 — 4. the mercies of God in Christ, promised to David ; 5 — 13. the
almighty power of Jehovah, manifested in his works and dispensations ; 14. his jus-
tice, mercy, and truth ; 15 — 18. the happiness and security of his people ; 19 — 37. his
covenant made with David, as the representative of Messiah, who should come of
his seed; 38 — 45. the church lamenteth her distressful state, at the time when this
Psalm was penned ;* 46 — 51. she prayeth for the accomplishment of the promise ;
and, in the meantime, 52. blesseth Jehovah.
1. / will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever : with my mouth will I
make known thy faithfidness to all generations.
The " mercies of Jehovah" J^ave ever employed the voices of be-
lievers to celebrate them. These mercies were promises to the human
race, in their great representative and surety, before the world began :
2 Tim. i. 9 ; Tit. i. 2 ; they were prefigured by ancient dispensa-
tions ; and, in part, fulfilled, at the incarnation of Christ. The
" faithfulness" of God in so fulfilling them, is now " made known,"
by the holy services of the Christian church, " to all generations."
2. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever; thy faithfulness shalt
thou establish in the very heavens.
Whatever be at any time the state of the church on earth, she
* Sedecia. capto, domo David e solio deturbat^^, promissiones Dei irritas videri propheta
queritur, necdum adesse Christum. — Bossuet. Dr. Kennicott imagines it to have been
composed by Isaiah, as a solemn and public address to God, at the time when Rezia
and Pekah were advancing against Jerusalem.
320 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
knowelh that the foundation of God standeth sure ; that the sacred
edifice, raised thereon, will be incorruptible and eternal as " heaven"
itself, where only mercy and truth are to have their perfect work, in
the everlasting felicity of the redeemed. Of this felicity, which is to
be the consummation of God's promises and our hopes, we behold
some faint resemblance as often as we view the stability, the beauty,
and the glory of the visible material " heavens."
3. / have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my
servant : 4. Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy thro7ie to all
generations.
The two former verses set forth a profession of faith in God's
mercy : these two assign the ground of such faith ; namely, the
covenant which God is here introduced as declaring that he had
made with David, and which he did make with him by the prophet
Nathan. 2 Sam. vii. 12, &c. The covenant relates to David's
" seed," and to the " establishment of his throne" in that seed : liter-
ally, in Solomon for a time ; spiritually, in Christ for ever. "When
thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I
will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my
name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I
will be his father, and he shall be my son." These last words are
cited by the apostle, Heb. i. 5, as spoken of Christ, to evince his
superiority over the angels. Yet, that the whole passage does, in
the letter, relate to Solomon, can admit of no doubt, he being the
" seed" and immediate successor of David, and the person appointed
to " build an house for God's name." Here then we have an incon-
testable proof, that the covenant with David had Messiah for its
object ; that Solomon was a figure of him ; and that the Scripture
hath sometimes a double sense.* It is moreover to be observed, that
the covenants made with Abraham, David, <fcc. all had their original
and foundation in the covenant made with Messiah, who was the
true Father of the faithful, the beloved and chosen of God ; the great
Prophet, Priest, and King ; the only person qualified to be a sponsor,
and to engage in a covenant with the Father for mankind. His
sufferings were the price of our red^ption : and because he suffered
in the flesh, as " the son of David," therefore is he " established for
ever, and his throne built up to all generations." Remarkable are
the words of the angel to Mary. " The Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Luke i. 32.
5. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord ; thy faithfulness also
in the congregation of the saints : or, The heavens shall praise thy wonderSj
O Lord ; and the saints thy faithfulness in the congregation.
Did not " the heavens praise the wonders of Jehovah," when a
* " Disposui testamentum :" percussi foedus cum electo meo : id est, Davide et
Christo. — Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 3^1
choir of angels descended from above, to sing an anthem, at the birth
of Christ ? And how must the celestial courts have resounded with
the hallelujahs of those blessed spirits, when they again receive their
King, returning in triumph from the conquest of his enemies ? Nor
do " the saints" omit to celebrate God's " faithfulness in the congre-
gation" upon earth, while " with angels and archangels, and all the
company of heaven, they laud and magnify his glorious name, ever-
more praising him, and saying, Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of hosts,
heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord
most high."
6. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord ? who among the
sons of the mighty can he likened unto the Lord ? 7. God is greatly to he feared
in the assembly of the saints ; and to he had in reverence of all them that are
about him. 8. O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee 7 or
to thy faithfulness round about thee 7 or, and thy faithfulness is round about
iJiee.
These verses proclaim that right and titlfe which Jehovah hath to
the praises of all his creatures in " heaven and earth." No one of
them, however excellent and glorious, however deified and adored
by fond and foolish man, can enter the lists, and contest the superi-
ority with its Maker. High over all is the throne of God : before
him "angels" veil their faces, "saints" prostrate themselves with
lowest reverence, and created nature trembles at his word : his
^- power" is almighty, and derived from none ; and with " truth" he
is on all sides invested as with a garment : the former enables him,
the latter (if we may so express it) binds him, to perform those gra-
■cious promises, which mercy prompted him to make, concerning our
eternal redemption.
9. Thou ndest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou
stillest them.
The extent of the ocean, the multitude of its weaves, and their
fury when excited by a storm, render it, in that state, the most tre-
mendous object in nature ; nor doth any thing, which man beholds,
give him so just an idea of human impotence, and of that divine
power which can excite and calm so boisterous an element at plea-
sure. God himself therefore frequently appeals to this instance of
his omnipotence ; see Job, xxviii. 11 ; Jer. v. 22 ; an attribute of
which our Lord showed himself to have been possessed, when, being
with his disciples in the ship, he arose and rebuked a tempestuous
wind and a raging sea, and there was instantly a calm. In all our
troubles and temptations, be thou, blessed Jesu, with us, and then
they shall never finally overwhelm us.
10. T%ou hast broken Rahab^ i. e. Egypt, in pieces^ as one that is slain:
thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
The destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is here mentioned
as another instance of God's mighty power. And it is probable, that
the foregoing verse was intended to allude more particularly to that
miraculous exertion of God's sovereignty over the waters, the divi-
41
322 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
sion of the Red Sea, which happened at the same time ; as these
two events are generally spoken of together. Thus Isaiah : " Art
thou not it that hath cut Rahab/' i. e. Egypt, '-and wounded the
dragon," i. e. Pharaoh ? " Art thou not it whicli hath dried the sea,
the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the sea a
way for the ransomed to pass over 7" li. 9. The same power which
effected all this, hath since, in Christ Jesus, overcome the world, de-
stroyed the works of the devil, and ransomed mankind from the
depths of the grave.
11. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world, and'
the fulness there<f. thou hast founded them. 12. The north and the soiU\
thou hast created them ; Tcd)or and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
The " heavens," and all the glorious bodies there ranged in-
beautiful order; the "earth," with its rich furniture, and the un-
numbered tribes of its inhabitants, through its whole extent, from
" north to south," and from east to west ; all these are so many evi-
dences of that wisdom and power which at the beginning contrived
and formed them ; all, in their respective ways, declare the glory and
speak the praises of their great Creator; but chiefly the holy land,
and the fruitful hills which adorn it. •• Tabor" in one part, and
"Hermon" in another, formerly seemed, as it were, to "rejoice"
and sing, for the abundant favours showered down upon them by
the God of Israel, who hath since caused all nations no less to exult
and triumph in his saving name.
13. Thou hast a mighty arm : strong is thy hand, and high is thy right
hand.
The Psalmist, having produced and meditated on some eminent.
instances of divine power, draws this general conclusion from the
premises. Towards the Christian church "the arm of Jehovah"
hath been revealed in a still njore extraordinary manner. She re-
flecteth on the wonders wrought by Jesus ; a conquest over more
formidable enemies than Pharaoh and his Egyptians ; a redemption
from more cruel bondage ; salvation from sin and death ; a new
creation, new heavens, and new earth, a new Jerusalem, and a
spiritual Sion. With additional conviction may she therefore ex-
claim, "Thou hasl a mighty arm; strong is thy hand and high is
thy right hand."
14. Justice and judgment are the habitation, Heb. th£ establishment, of thy
throne : mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Although the power of God be infinite, yet is it never exerted, but
under tlie direction of his other attributes. When he goeth, as a
judge, to his tribunal, "mercy and truth go before his face;" they
are represented as preceding him, to give notice of his advent, and to
prepare his way. " All the ways," or dispensations "of the Lord,"
as it is elsewhere observed, "are mercy and truth;" Ps. xxv. 10 ;
they are the substance of all his revelations, which either promise
salvation, or relate the performance of such promises. By these is
man warned and prepared for "judgment ;" which is to be the last
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. • 323
and finishing scene. And when the great Judge of all the earth
shall from his throne pronounce the irreversible sentence, not a crea-
ture then present shall be able to accuse that sentence of injustice.
After this model should the thrones of princes, and the tribunals of
earthly magistrates, be constituted in "justice and judgment,"
adorned with " mercy and truth."
15. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O
Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
Next to the praises of Jehovah, is declared the happiness of those
who have him for their God ; who " know the joyful sound, or
sound of the trumpet," by which the festivals of the Jewish, church
were proclaimed, and the people were called together to tire offices
of devotion ; who enjoy the "light" of truth, and through grace
are enabled to '• walk" therein. These blessings are now become
our own : the evangelical trumpet hath sounded through the once
heathen* world ; the Sun of righteousness hath risen upon all na-
tions. Let us attend to the "joyful sound;" let us " walk" in the
glorious " hght."
16. In thy name shall theif rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness
shall they he exalted. 17. Por thou art the glory of their strength : and in
thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18. For the Lord is our defence; and
the Holy One of Israel is our King.
It is the duty of Christians, as it was that of Israelites, to ascribe
all their strength, their success, and their glory, whether in mat-
ters temporal or spiritual, to Jehovah alone. Having heard the
sound, and experienced the illuminating and reviving influences of
the gospel, in the name and in the solvation of God we rejoice all
the day, and in his righteousness only we trust to be exalted to
heaven : to him we attribute the glory of that strength, with which,
in time of temptation, we may find ourselves happily endued ; and
in his favour, or grace, our horn, or the efforts of our power, shall be
exalted, and crowned with victory ; our defence in all dangers is
from Jehovah, who was ever the shield of his ancient people ; and
the Holy One of Israel is our Redeemer and our King.
19. Then thou spdkest in insion to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid, or,
placed, help upon, or, in, one that is mighty ; I have exalted one chosen out
of the people.
The covenant made with David was mentioned in general terms
above, at verses 4, 5. But a more particular account is now given
of God's dispensations relative to the son of Jesse, and his posterity.
We are presented with the substance of the revelation made upon
this subject, " in vision," to one of the prophets, perhaps Samuel, or
Nathan, here styled an " holy one," or religious person, one favoured
and accepted by God, who is introduced as manifesting to this his
prophet the divine counsels concerning David : " I have placed help
upon, or in one, who shall become an eminent and mighty Saviour
of Israel ; from among all the people I have chosen, and determined
to exalt him, for that purpose, to the throne." Thus was Messiah
324 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
foretold, in prophetical visions and revelations, as the person designed
to be the mighty Redeemer of his church ; thus, in the fulness of
time, was he chosen from among the children of men, and exalted,
through sufferings, to an eternal throne.
20. / have found David my servant ; with my holy oil Juive I anointed
him: 21. With whom my hand shall he established; mine arm also shall
strengthen him.
David was the servant of God ; he was, by the prophet Samuel,
anointed with oil ; he was strengthened and established in his king-
dom, by the hand and arm of Jehovah. But never let Christians
fail, in this eminently figurative character, to contemplate that true
David, |for so he is called, Ezek. xxxiv. 23, xxxvii. 25,) the beloved
Son of God ; " the servant and elect of Jehovah, in whom his soul
delighted, and on whom he put his Spirit :" Isa. xhi. 1 ; whom he
" anointed with his holy oil, with the oil of gladness, with the Holy
Ghost and with power ;" Ps. xiv. 7 ; Acts, x. 38 ; whom he strength-
ened, and established in his spiritual kingdom, with his hand and
arm, and the might of his omnipotence.
22. T7ie enemy shall not exact upon, or, deceive, him: nor the son of wick-
edness afflict, or, subdue, him. 23. And I will beat down his foes before his
face, and plague them that hate him. 24. But my faithfulness and my mercy
shall be with him : and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
These promises were fulfilled to David, when God delivered him
out of the hand of Saul, and of all his other adversaries. See 2 Sam.
xxii. 1. And in what a full, perfect, and divine sense were they veri-
fied to Christ ! That subtle enemy, " which deceiveth the whole
world," was not able to deceive him ; neither the sons nor the father
of wickedness could overthrow and subdue him : all opposition fell
before him, and they who hated him suffered unparalleled desola-
tion ; the promised faithfulness and mercy of Jehovah were ever with
him, and his kingdom was exalted with glory and honour.
25. / will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
The dominions of David and his son Solomon extended from the
Mediterranean "sea" to the "rivers" Euphrates, &c. : the empire
of Christ is universal over Jews and Gentiles, throughout all the
earth. See Ps. Ixxii. 8, &c.
26. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my
salvation. 27. Also I iDill make him my first-born, higher than the kings (f
the earth.
All this, if in some respects true of David, is much more emphati-
cally so of our Lord Jesus Christ. " Son of God" is one of his dis-
tinguished titles ; of " the Father" he continually spoke, and to the
Father he addressed his prayers and cries, in the days of his flesh ;
as man he was raised and exalted by the power and glory of the
Divinity ; he was " the first-born of every creature, the first begotten
from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth." Col. i. 15 ;
Rev. i. 5. Make us, blessed Lord, the sons of God, and teach us to
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 325
cry, Abba, Father ; give us victory and dominion over sin and death,
that we may live and reign with thee for ever.
2S. My -mercy will I keep for, or, to, him, for evermore, and my covenant
shall stand fast with him. 29. His seed also will I make to endure for ever,
and his throne as the days of heaven.
God kept his mercy and covenant with David, by preserving the
line of his posterity, until his great antitype, Messiah, the subject of
all the promises, came, by whom the kingdom was established for
ever, being changed into a spiritual one, which is to be transferred
from earth to heaven, and rendered coeval with those eternal man-
sions of the blessed.
30. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my jitdgments ; 31. If
they break, or, profane, rny statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32. Then will I visit their transgression vnth the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes. 33. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him,
nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34. My covenant will I not break, nor
alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
The posterity of David were to enjoy God's favour, or be deprived
of it, as they proved obedient or disobedient to his " law ;" as they
executed or perverted its civil "judgments;" as they observed or
neglected its ceremonial " statutes," or religious institutions ; as they
kept or broke its " commandments," or moral precepts. "When they
became rebellious, idolatrous, and profligate, the rod was lifted up,
and due chastisement inflicted, sometimes by the immediate hand
of heaven, sometimes by the instrumentahty of their heathen adver-
saries ; famine and pestilence, war and captivity, were at diflferent
times employed to reclaim backsliding^ Israel. But still, the " cove-
nant" of God in Christ stood sure ; the Jewish nation was preserved,
through all changes and revolutions, " until the Seed came to whom
the promise was made ;" nor was Jerusalem destroyed, before the
new and spiritual kingdom of Messiah was set up in the earth.
Christian communities, and the individuals that compose them, are
in like manner corrected and punished for their offences. " Never-
theless, God's loving kindness- will he not utterly take from us, nor
sufler his faithfulness to fail. His covenant will he not break, nor
alter the thing that is gone out of his hps." So — " I am witj^ you
always," says the Redeemer, " even to the end of the Avorld ; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against my church." Matt, xxviii.
20. xw. 18. Nor shall the world be destroyed, until Christ come
again, and his glorious kingdom be ready to appear.
35. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David,
36. His seed shall endure for ever, and his thrmie as the sun before me.
37. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in
heaven.
The promise, covenant, and oath of God, which he declareth shall
never fail, are here repeated. They relate to Christ, that " Seed,"
or " Son of David," who " endureth for ever." His throne is re-
splendent as the " sun," and shall continue, after that luminary is
extinguished : his church is permanent as the " moon," though, like
326 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
her, subject to vicissitudes, and liable, for a time, to be obscured by
eclipses, during her present state upon earth. And while the rain-
bow shall be seen in the clouds, man has " a faithful witness in
heaven" of the immutable truth of God's word, and the infallible ac-
complishment of what he promises. " Look upon the rainbow,"
saith the wise son of Sirach, " and praise him who made it : very
beautiful it is in the briglitness thereof: it compasseth the heaven
about with a glorious circle, and the hands of the most High have
bended it." Ecclus. xliii. 11. But let us not forget likewise, when
we look upon the rainbow, to praise him who made it to be a sign
and sacred symbol of mercy ; in which capacity we behold it, to our
great and endless comfort, compassing the throne of Christ with a
gracious, as well as glorious, circle. " There was a rainbow round
about the throne." Rev. iv. 3 ; Ezek. i. 28.
3S. But thou hast cast off and abhorred^ thou hast been wroth with thy
anointed, 39. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servarit ; thou hast
profaned his crown, by casting it to the ground.
^In the former part of our Psalm, we have seen what the divine
promises were, which had been made to the house of David. By
the latter part, upon which we are entering, it appears that the
Psalm was written at a time, when the church of Israel was in such
a manner oppressed and reduced by her enemies, that her members
began almost to despair of those promises receiving their accomplish-
ment. God seemed to have '-cast off" and " abhorred" his "anointed"
and " servant ;" that is, David, or rather the prince of his family who
was upon the throne when this captivity and desolation happened ;
the " covenant" seemed to be overturned and " made void," when the
" crown" of Israel was defiled in the dust.
40. Thou hast broken down all his hedges, thou hast brmight his strong
holds to ruin. 41. All that pass by the way spoil him : he is a reproach to
his neighbours. 42. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries ; thou
hast made all his enemies to rejoice. 43. Thou hast also turned the edge of
his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. 44. Thou hast made
his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. 45. The days of
his youth hast thou shortened ; thou hast covered him. with shame.
Tl* manifold calamities of Sion are in these verses enumerated,
— the demolition of fences and fortifications ; the cruel ravages con-
sequent thereupon ; the shame of defeats ; the reproaches and insults
of victorious adversaries ; the dishonours of violent and untimely
death. In days like these here described, when the church and the
king are permitted to fall into the hands of those who hate them,
and to drink thus deeply of the cup of aflliction. distrust and de-
spondency are apt to seize upon the minds of men. Nay, when the
faithful few behold the true " Son of David," and " Anointed" of
Jehovah, in the day of his sufferings ; when they saw him, without
help or defence, " spoiled and reproached by his neighbours ;" when
they viewed " the right hand of his adversaries set up," and all his
" enemies rejoicing" over him ; his " glory made to cease," and his
" crown profaned in the dust ; the days of his youth shortened," and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 327
"himself delivered over to a " shameful" as well as painful death ;
they then began to think " the covenant made void," and the prom-
ises at an end. " We trusted," said they, " that it had been lie who
should have redeemed Israel !" Luke, xxiv. 21. And although
Christ be long since risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven,
yet the prevalence of iniquity and the oppression of the church have
been, and in the last days will be such, as to put tiie faith and hope
of his servants to a sore trial, while they wait for his second, as the
ancient Jews did for his first advent.
46. How long, Lord ? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever ? shall thy wrath bum
like fire ? 47. Remember how short my time is : wheirfore hast thou made
all men in vain 7 Or, as Ainsworth translates the verse, Remember how
transitory I am., unto what vanity thou hast created all the sons of Adam.
48. What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death ? shall he deliver his
.soul, or, animal frame, from the hand of the grave 7 49. Lord, xchere are
thy form£r loving kindnesses, which thou s war est unto David in thy truth?
This is the humble and dutiful expostulation of the church with
Ood in all her distresses upon the earth. By asking, " How long,
Lord? Wilt thou be angry for ever?" she tacitly pleadeth his
promise not to be so : she urgeth the shortness of man's life here
below, the universality of the fatal sentence, the impossibility of
avoiding death, and, if nothing further was to happen, the frustra-
tion of the divine counsels concerning man. From thence she
entreateth God to remember the " loving kindnesses" once promised
hy him with an oath to David, as related in the former part of the
.Psalm. These "loving kindnesses" are called, in Isaiah Iv. 3, " the
sure mercies of David ;" which " sure mercies of David" are affirmed
'by St. Paul, Acts, xiii. 34, to have been then confirmed on Israel,
when, in the person of Jesus, God raised our nature from the grave.
To a resurrection, therefore, believers have ever aspired ; thither
,have they directed their wishes ; and on that event have they fixed
vtheir hopes, as the end of temporal sorrows, and the beginning of
eternal joys.
50. Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how / do bear in my
bosom the reproach of all the mighty people ; 51. Wherewith thine enemies
-have reproached, O Lord ; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of
thine anointed.
The last argument urged by the church, in her expostulation with
<5od for a speedy redemption, is, the continual reproach to which
she was subject, on account of the promise being delayed. The
^' mighty people," or heathen nations, who held her in captivity,
and were witnesses of her wretched and forlorn estate, ridiculed her
pretensions to perpetuity of empire in the house of David ; they blas-
phemed the God who was said to have made such promises : and
" reproached the footsteps," or mocked at the tardy advent of his
Messiah.* who was to establish in Israel his everlasting throne. All
* " Exprobraverunt vestigia Christ! tui :" tarditatem vestigiorum Christ! tui. Chald.
— Irridebant nos qu»)d non adveniret expectatus ille Liberator, sive Cyrus, sive polius
NUhristus de semine Davidis, regno ejus instaurando, et in aeternum firmando. — Bossuet.
328 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
these cruel taunts and insults she was obliged to "b^ar in her bosom,"
and there to suppress them in silence, having nothing to answer in
the day of her calamity and seeming destitution. St. Peter gives
us a like account of the state of the Christian church in the latter
days ; he exhorts us to be " mindful of the words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets, and of the commandments of the apos-
tles of the Lord and Saviour, because there shall come in the last
days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying. Where is
the promise of his coming ?" 2 Pet. iii. 4.
52. Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen.
But whatever be at any time our distress, either as a community
or as individuals, still are we to believe, still to hope, still to bless
and praise Jehovah, whose word is true, whose works are faithful,
whose chastisements are mercies, and all whose promises are, in
Christ Jesus, yea, and amen, for evermore. *
EIGHTEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XC.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is called, in its title, " A prayer of Moses, the man of
God." By him it is imagined to have been composed when God shortened the days
of the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness. See Numb. xiv. It is, however, a
Psalm of general use, and is made, by the church, a part of her funeral service. It
containeth, 1, 2. an address to the eternal and unchangeable God, the Saviour and
Preserver of his people ; 3 — 10. a most affecting description of man's mortal and
transitory state on earth since the fall ; 11. a complaint, that few meditate in such a
manner upon death, as to prepare themselves for it ; 12. a prayer for grace so to do ;
13 — 17. and for the mercies of redemption.
1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. 2. Before the
mountains were brought forth^ or ever thou hadst fcrrmed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.
The Psalmist, about to describe man's fleeting and transitory state^
first directs us to contemplate the unchangeable nature and attributes
of God, who hath always been a " dwelling-place," or place of defence
and refuge, affording protection and comfort to his people in the world,
as he promised to be before the world began, and will, in a more
glorious manner, continue to be after its dissolution. See, for a par-
allel, Ps. cii. 25, &c. with St. Paul's application, Heb. i. 10.
3. Thouturnest man to destruction: and say est, Return, ye children of men.
Death was the penalty inflicted on man for sin. The latter part
of the verse alludes to the fatal sentence. Gen. iii. 19. " Dust thou
art, and unto dust shalt thou return." How apt are we to forget
both our original and our end !
4. For a thousand, years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,
and as a watch in the night.
The connexion between the' verse preceding and the verse now
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 329
before us, seems to be this. God sentenced man to death. It is true,
the execution of the sentence was at first deferred, and the term of
human hfe suffered to extend to near a thousand years. But what
was even that, what is any period of time, or time^itself, if compa-
red with the duration of tlie Eternal 7 All time is equal, when it is
past ; a thousand years, when gone, are forgotten as yesterday ; and
the longest life of man, to a person who looks back upon it, may ap-
pear only as three hours, or one quarter of the night.
5. Thou earnest them away as with a flood ; they are as a sleep : in the
morning ihey are like grass which groweth up ; or, as grass that changeth.
6. In the morning it Jlourisheth and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut
down, and withereth.
The shortness of life, and the suddenness of our departure hence,
are illustrated by three simihtudes. The first is that of a " flood,"
or torrent pouring unexpectedly and impetuously from the mountains,
and sweeping all before it in an instant. The second is that of
*' sleep," from which when a man awaketh he thinketh the time
passed in it to have been nothing. In the third similitude, man is
compared to the " grass" of the field. In the morning of youth fair
and beautiful, he groweth up and flourisheth ; in the evening of old
age (and how often before that evening !) he is cut down by the
stroke of death : all his juices, to the circulation of which he stood
indebted for life, health, and strength, are dried up; he withereth,
and turneth again to his earth. '-'Surely all flesh is grass, and all
the goodliness thereof as is the flower of the field !" Isa. xl. 6. Of
this truth, the word of God, the voice of nature, and daily experi-
ence, join to assure us : yet who ordereth his life and conversation
as if he believed it ?
7. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy icrath are we troubled.
8. TTiou hast set our iniquities before thee: our secret sins in the light of thy
countenance.
The generations of men are troubled and consumed by divers dis-
eases, and sundry kinds of death, through the displeasure of God ;
his displeasure is occasioned by their sins, all of which he seeth and
punisheth. If Moses wrote this Psalm, the provocations and chas-
tisements of Israel are here alluded to. But the case of the Israel-
ites in the wilderness is the case of Christians in the world ; and the
same thing is true both in them and in us.
9. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath ; we spend our years as
a tale that is told.
Life is compared to a " tale" that is told and forgotten ; to a " word"
which is but air, or breath, and vanisheth into nothing as soon as
spoken ; or perhaps, as the original generally signifies, to a "medita-
tion, a thought," which is of a nature still more fleeting and transient.
10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of
strength, they he fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow: for
it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
This again might be primarily spoken by Moses, concerning Is-
42
330 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
rael. The generation of those who came out of Egypt, from twenty
years old and upwards, fell within the space of forty years, in the
wilderness ; Numb. xiv. 29 ; and they who lived longest experienced
only labour an(? sorrow, until they were cut off, hke grass, and, by
the breath of God's displeasure, blown away from the face of the
earth. Like the Israelites, we have been brought out of Egypt, and
sojourn in the wilderness ; like them we murmur, and offend God
our Saviour ; like them we fall and perish. To the age of seventy
years, few of us can hope to attain ; labour and sorrow are our por-
tion in the world ; we are mowed down, as this year's grass of the
field ; we fly away, and are no more seen in the land of the hving.
11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger 7 Even according to thy fear^
so is thy wrath.
Houbigant renders the verse thus, " Glqjs novit vim irae tuae ; et,
prout terribilis es, furorem tuum ?" " Who knoweth "or considereth,
" the power of thine anger ; and thy w^rath, in proportion as thou art
terrible ?" that is, in other words. Notwithstanding all the manifesta-
tions of God's indignation against sin, which introduced death and
every other calamity among men, who is there that knoweth, who
that duly considereth and layeth to heart the almighty power of that
indignation ; who that is induced, by beholding the mortality of his
neighbours, to prepare himself for his own departure hence ? Such
holy consideration is the gifi of God, from whom the Psalmist, in the
next verse, directeth us to request it.
12. So tea.ch us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom.
He who " nurabereth his days," or taketh a right account of the
shortness of this present life, compared with the unnumbered ages
of that eternity which is future, will soon become a proficient in the
school of true wisdom. He will learn to give the preference where
it is due ; to do good and suffer evil upon earth, expecting the re-
ward of both in heaven. Make us wise, blessed Lord, but wise unto
salvation.
13. Return^ O Lord, hoiD long? and let it repent thee concerning, or, be
propitiated towards, thy servant.
During the reign of death over poor mankind, God is represented
as absent ; he is therefore by the faithful entreated to " return," and
to satisfy their longing desires after salvation ; to hasten the day
when Messiah should make a " propitiation " for sin, w4ien he should
redeem his servants from death, and ransom them from the power
of the grave. The Christian, who knoweth that his Lord is risen
indeed, looks forward to the resurrection of the just, when death
shall be finally swallowed up in victory.
14. O satisfy us early, or, in the morninsr,with thy mercy ; that we may re-
joice and he glad all our days. 15. Make us glad according to the days
wherein thou hast abided us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
The church prayeth for the dawning of that glorious morning,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 331
when every cloud shall vanish at the rising of the Sun of righteous-
ness, and night and darkness shall be no more. Then only shall
we be " satisfied, or saturated, with the mercy" of Jehovah ; then
only shall we " rejoice and be glad all our days." The time of our
pilgrimage upon earth is a time of sorrow ; we grieve for our de-
parted friends and our surviving friends must soon grieve for us ;
these are " the days wherein God afflicteth us, these the years wherein
we see evil ;" but he will hereafter " make us glad according to
them ;" in proportion to our sufferings, if rightly we bear those suf-
ferings, will be our reward ; nay, " these light afflictions, which are
but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory." Then shall our joy be increased, and receive an
additional relish from the remembrance of our former sorrow ; then
shall we bless the days and the years which exercised our faith, and
perfected our patience ; and then shall we bless God, who chastised
us for a season, that he might save us for evef.
16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou Vie
work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our ha7id.s establish thou it.
The redemption of man is that "work" of God whereby "his
glory" is manifested to all generations, and which all generations do
therefore long to behold accomplished. For this purpose the faithful
beseech God to let his " beauty," his splendour, the light of his coun-
tenance, his grace and favour, be upon them : to " estabhsh the
work of their hands," to bless, prosper, and perfect them in their
Christian course and warfare ; until, through him, they shall be en-
abled to subdue sin, and triumph over death.
PSALM XCI.
ARGUMENT.— The prophet, 1—10. declareth the security of the righteons man
under the care and protection of heaven, in times of danger, when, 11, 12. a guard
of angels is set about him. 13. His final victory over the enemies of his salvation is
foretold ; and 14 — 16. God himself is introduced, promising him deliverance, exalta-
tion, glory, and immortality. This Psalm is addressed, primarily, to Messiah. That
it related to him, Jews and Christians are agreed ; and the devil, Matt. iv. 6. cited
two verses from it, as universally known and allowed to have been spoken of him.
1. He that divelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under
the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I vnll say of the Lord, He is my refuge and
my fortress : my God ; in him will I trust. 3. Surely he shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
In these verses, as they now stand, there is much obscurity and
confusion. Bishop Lowth, in his twenty-sixth I^ecture, seemeth to
,have given their true construction : " He who dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High ; who abideth under the shadow of the Al-
mighty ; who saith of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I will trust;" leaving the sentence thus imper-
fect, the Psalmist maketh a beautiful apostrophe to that person
332
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
whom he has been describing — " Surely he shall deliver thee from
the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence." The
description is eminently apphcable to the man Christ Jesus.* He is
represented as dwelling, hive the ark in the holy of holies, under the
immediate " shadow" and protection of the Almighty, who was his
" refuge and fortress" against the open attacks of his enemies ; his
preserver from the " snares" of the devil, and from the universal
contagion of sin, that spiritual '• pestilence." In all dangers, whether
spiritual or corporeal, the members of Christ's mystical body may
reflect with comfort, that they are under the same Almighty pro-
tector.
4. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou
trust ; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
The security afforded by a superintending Providence, to those
who trust therein, is here, with the utmost beauty and elegance,
compared to that shelter, which the young of birds are always sure
to find under the " wings " of their dam, when fear causeth them to
fly thither for refuge: see Deut. xxii. 11; Matt, xxiii. 37. The
" truth " of God's word, wherein he promiseth to be our defence, is,
to a beUever his " shield and buckler," in the day of battle and
war.
5. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night : wor for the arrow that
Jiieth by day. 6. Nor for the 'pestilence that walketh in darkness : nor for
the destruction that wasteth at noon-day.
How much man standeth in need of the above-mentioned protec-
tion of heaven, appeareth from a survey of the dangers to which he
is continually exposed. Various are the terrors of the night ; mani-
fold the perils of the day ! from diseases whose infection maketh its
progress unobserved ; from assaults, casualties, and accidents, which
can neither be foreseen nor guarded against. The soul hath like-
wise her enemies, ready to attack and surprise her at all hours.
Avarice and ambition are abroad watching for her in the day ;
while concupiscence, like a pestilence, " walketh in darkness." In
adversity she is disturbed by terrors ; in prosperity, still more en-
dangered by pleasures. But Jesus Christ has overcome the world,
to prevent us from being overcome by it.
7. A tho2isand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand :
but it shall not come nigh thee.
This promise has oftentimes, in a wonderful manner, been veri-
fied to those faithful servants of God, whom the pestilence itself hath
not deterred from doing the duties of their station. The bishop and
some of the intendants of Marseilles, who continued to perform their
respective offices, during the whole time of the plague there in 1720,
are signal and well-known instances. Sin is a pestilence, the con-
* Ode Davidicainsi^nis xci. agit directe et priino loco de tej^mine et defensioiie quam
Peus Christo Jesu Doctori et apostolis ipsius praestaret. — Vitringa, Comment, in Jesai^
u. 565.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 333
tagion of which no son of Adam ever escaped but the blessed Jesus,
He stood alone untouched by its venom ; thousands and ten thou-
sands, all the myriads of mankind, fell around him ; "but it" did
" not come nigh Him." Heal us of this our distemper, O thou Physi-
cian of souls, and let it not prove our ev^erlasting destruction ; " stand,"
like thy representative of ol(!, " between the dead and the living,"
and " let the plague be stayed." Numb. xvi. 47, 48.
8. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the
wicked.
The meaning is, that the righteous person all along spoken of,
himself secure from the judgments of God, should in safety behold
the destruction wrought by them upon impenitent and incorrigible
sinners. This will be the case with the church as well as her
glorious head, at the last day.
9. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my rejuge, even the Most
High, thy habitation ; 10. There shall no evil befal thee^ neither shall any
plague come nigh thy dwelling.
The sentiment in these verses is evidently the same with that in
verses 5, 6 ; namely, that God preserveth such as trust in him, after
the pattern of the holy Jesus, from those evils, and from that perdi-
tion which are reserved for the ungodly. Dr. Durell translates the
ninth verse, in the way of apostrophe, literally thus : " Surely thou,
O Lord, art my refuge ; O Most High, thou hast fixed thine habi-
tation ;" i. e. in Sion, to be the protector of his servant.
11. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy
ways. 12. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou- dash thy foot
against a stone.
This passage was cited by the devil, who tempted our Lord to
cast himself from a pinnacle of the temple, upon presumption of the
promise here made, that angels should guard and support him in all
dangers. But Christ, in his answer, at once detecteth and exposeth
the sophistry of the grand deceiver, by showing, that the promise
belonged only to those who fell unavoidably into danger, in the
course of duty ; such might hope for the help and protection of •
heaven ; but that he who should wantonly and absurdly throw
himself into peril, merely to try whether Providence would bring
him out of it, must expect to perish for his pains. '• Jesus saith unto
him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
Matt. iv. 7.
13. Thoii shalt tread upon the lion and adder ; the young lion and the
dragon shall thou trample under thy feet.
The fury and the venom of our spiritual enemies are often in
Scripture portrayed by the natural qualities of " hons and serpents."
Messiah's complete victory over those enemies seemeth here to be
predicted. Through grace he maketh us more than conquerors in
our conflicts with the same adversaries. " The God of peace," saith
St. Paul, "shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Rom. xvi. 20.
334 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
And it is observable that, when the seventy disciples return to
Christ with joy, saying, " Lord, even the devils are subject unto us
through thy name ;" he answers in the metaphorical language of
our Psalm : " Behold, I give imto you power to tread on scorpions
and serpents, and over all the power i)f the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you," <fec. Luke x. 17. Give us, Q
Lord, courage to resist the " lion's" rage, and wisdom to elude the
wiles of the '' serpent."
14. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I
will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15. He shall call upon
me, and I will answer him ; 1 will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him,
and honour, or, glorify him. 16. With long life will I satisfy him, and show
him my salvation.
In the former part of our Psalm, the prophet had spoken in his
own person ; here God himself is plainly introduced as the speaker.
And, O how sweet, how delightful and comfortable are his words,
addressed eminently to his beloved Son Messiah ; and in him to all
of us, his adopted children, and the heirs of eternal hfe ; to all who
love God, and have " known his name !" To such are promised, an
answer to their prayers ; the presence of their heavenly Father with
them ; in the day of trouble, protection, and deliverance ; salvation^
and honour, and glory, and immortality. All these promises have
already been made good to our gracious Head and Representative.
His prayers have been heard ; his sufferings are over : he is risen
and ascended; and behold, he liveth and reigneth for ev(irmore.
Swift fly the intermediate years, and rise that long-expected morn-
ing, when He who is gone " to prepare a place for us, shall come
again, and take us to himself, that where he is we may be also !"
PSALM XCII.
ARGUMENT.— The title of this Psalm is, " A Psalm, or Song, for the Sabbath
Day." It teacheth, 1 — 5. the duty, time, and manner, of giving thanks for the
works and dispensations of God. Thoughtless men are admonished, 6. to reflect
upon the final issue of all these works and dispensations ; namely, 7 — 9. the utter
perdition of the ungodly, and, 10 — 14. the exaltation of the church in Christ Jesus^
15. to the praise and glory of God most high.
1. It is a good thing to give thanks untJhhe Lord, and to sing praises unto
thy name, O Most High : 2. To show forth thy loving-kindness in the nwm-
ing, and thy faithfulness every night : 3. Upon an instrument of ten strings^
and upon the psaltery ! upon the harp with a solemn sound.
" Thanksgiving" is the duty, and ought to be the delight of a
Christian. It is his duty, as being the least return he can make to-
his great Benefactor : it ought to be his delight, for it is that of an-
gels, and will be that of every grateful heart, whether in heaven or
in earth. The "mercy" of God in promising salvation, and hi?
"faithfulness" in accomplishing it, are inexhaustible subjects for
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 335
" morning and evening" praises ; every instrument should be strung",
and every voice tuned to celebrate them, until day and night come
to an end. But more especially should this be done on the " sabbath
day;" which, when so employed, affords a lively resemblance of
that eternal sabbath, to be hereafter kept by the redeemed, in the
kingdom of God.
4. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work : I will triumph,
in the works of thy hands.
A prospect of creation in the vernal season, fallen as it is, inspires
the mind with a joy which no words can express. But how doth
the regenerate soul exult and triumph, at beholding that " work" of
God's " hand," whereby he hath created all things anew in Christ
Jesus ! If we can be pleased with such a world as this, where sin
and death have fixed their habitation, shall we not much rather ad-
mire those other heavens, and that other earth, wherein dwell right-
eousness and life? What are we to think of the palace, since even
the prison is not without its charms ?
5. O Lord, how great are thy icorks ! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6. A brutish man knoweth not ; neither doth a fool understand this.
Glorious are the works, profound the counsels, marvellous the dis-
pensations of God, in nature, in providence, in grace. But all are
lost to the man void of spiritual discernment; who, Hke his fellow
" brutes," is bowed down to earth, and knoweth no pleasures but
those of sense. Here he hath chosen his paradise, and set up his
tabernacle : not considering that his tabernacle must shortly be taken
down, and he must remove hence for ever.
7. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of ini-
ity do flouHsh ; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever. 8. But thou,
ord, art most high for evermore.
It is not improbable that these verses should be connected with
that preceding, thus — "A brutish man knoweth not ; neither doth a
fool understand this ;" namely, that " When the wicked spring as
the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that
they shall be destroyed for ever ;" they are only nourishing them-
selves like senseless cattle in plentiful pastures, for the approaching
day of slaughter. He who is ignorant of the final issue of things,
who attendeth not to his eternal interest, he is, in Scripture language,
" the brutish man," and the " fool" who knoweth not the works,
neither understandeth the designs of Heaven. When the " grass"
hath attained to its most flourishing estate, and all the flowers of the
field are in perfect beauty, then the mower entereth with his scythe.
What a beautiful and instructive emblem is here held forth to us 1
what a forcible admonition to trust only in him, who, without " vari-
ableness or shadow of turning," is " Most High for evermore !"
9. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall perish: all the
workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10. But my horn shalt thou exalt like
the horn of an unicorn: I shall be, or, lam anointed with fresh oil.
The " workers of iniquity" are the enemies of " Jehovah," and
C
336 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
will be " scattered" by the breath of his displeasure, as grass, after
it is cut down, dried up, and withered, is driven away by the whirl-
winds of heaven. " But my horn," saith the Psalmist, (it is likely
in the person of Messiah,) " my horn," that is, the strength and
power of my kingdom " shalt thou exalt like the horn of an uni-
corn,"* hke the power of the strongest creatures, to which that of
states and empires is often compared ; " I shall be," or, " I am,
anointed with fresh oil ;" I am appointed and consecrated king by
the holy unction. Christians have " an unction from the Holy One,"
by which they are enabled to subdue their spiritual enemies ; they
reign over their passions and affections ; they are exalted in the Re-
deemer ; they are " made unto their God kings and priests." 1 John,
ii. 20 ; Rev. v. 10.
11. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies; and mine ears shall
hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.^
The words, " my desire," are twice inserted by our translators.
But would it not be better, if we were to supply the ellipsis in this
manner, " Mine eye shall behold the fall of mine enemies ; and mine
ear shall hear the destruction of the wicked that rise up against me ?'*
The sense of the verse is plain. It is intended to express an assu-
rance of faith, an humble confidence in the promises of God, that
our efforts shall at length be crowned with victory over every thing
which resisteth and opposeth itself; and that the day is coming,
when we shall view all the enemies of our salvation dead at our
feet.
12. The righteous shaU flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a >
cedar in Lebanon.
The momentary prosperity of the wicked was compared above to
the transient verdure of " grass." The durable felicity of the right-
eous is here likened to the lasting strength and beauty of "palms"
and "cedars." But chiefly is the comparison applicable to that Just
One, the King of Righteousness, and Tree of Life ; eminent and
upright ; ever verdant and fragrant ; under the greatest pressure
and weight of sufferings, still ascending toward heaven ; affording
both fruit and protection ; incorruptible and immortal. " I sat down,"
saith the church, " under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit
was sweet to my taste." Song ii. 3.
13. TTiose that be planted in tlie house of the Lord, shall flourish in the
courts of our God.
Believers are styled by Isaiah, " Trees of righteousness, the plant-
ing of Jehovah :" ch. Ixi. 3. They are planted by the living waters
of comfort, " in the house of God ;" where, under the means of grace,
they "flourish" in hope of glory; "fenced and enclosed by the
discipline and orders of the church, and by the consequent favour
and protection of heaven ; their verdure is conspicuous, and ever
* Heb. b'HN, an eastern animal of the " stag" or " deer" kind, remarkable for its
height, strength, and fierceness.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 337
constant, whether in the summer of prosperity, or the winter of ad-
versity : their actions and principles are ever upright and fair ; yea,
their very leaf exhales a delightful perfume, by a holy example and
conversation ; their affections and desires are ever ascending towards
the noblest and most sublime objects, the things that are above, the
glorious things of heaven."* •
14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age: they shall he fat and
flourishing. ^
Happy the man Avhose goodness is always progressive, and whose
Tirtues increase with his years ; who loseth not, in multiplicity of
worldly cares or pleasures, the holy fervours of his first love, but go-
eth on burning and shining more and more, to the end of his days.
The church, like her representative Sarah, is now " well stricken in
years ;" but we hope that, like her, she will '* still bring forth fruit in
her old age ;" we look for many more " children of promise" to be
born unto Christ, born from among the Jews and Gentiles.
15. To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no un-
righteoiis7iess in him.
The fruit brought forth in the church redounds to the glory of
God, by whom the trees, in this his new paradise, were planted ; it
shows to all the world that he is just and " upright" in his dealings ;
that he is true to his promises ; immoveable as a " rock" in his coun-
sels ; determined to punish the wicked, and to reward the good ; so
that when his proceedings shall come to be unfolded at the last day,
it will appear to men and angels that " there is no unrighteousness
in him."
EIGHTEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM xcin.
ARGUMENT. — The Jews acknowledge, that the kingdom of Messiah is prophesied
of in this Psalm, and in all those which follow, to the hundredth. 1, 2. the church
celebrates the majesty, power, and glory of the eternal King ; 3. describes the danger
she is often in from persecutions, &c., but, 4. strengtheneth herself in God her Sa-
viour, whose house, .5. ought to be, like himself, full of truth and holiness.
1. The Lord reigneih, he is clothed with majesty ; the Lord is clothed with
strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is established that
it cannot be moved.
From the beginning, God, as Creator, was sovereign Lord of the
universe. He was also formerly, in a more especial manner, King
of Israel. But since that time a new and spiritual kingdom hath
been erected by Jesus Christ, as Redeemer, whom the church now
celebrates, and whose praises she sings continually. Risen from the
dead, and ascended into heaven, the Lord Jesus reigneth, and shall
* Essay on the Proper Lessons, by Mr. Wogan, vol. iii. p. 49.
43
338 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
reign, "till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. xv. 25.-.
By the glorification of his human nature, he is " clothed with ma-
jeeiy. All power is given unto him in heaven and in earth ;" Matt^
xxviii. 18 ; so that he is " girded with strength ;" and through that
strength, he hath " established" the new " world," that is to say, his
cliurch, tliat it "cannot be moved," or subverted, by all the powers
of earth and hell.
^ 2. Thy throne is established of old ; thou Q.vi from everlasting.
Earthly tbrones are temporary ; they are set up and cast down
again, neither is any trust to be reposed in them. But the throne oF
Christ is eternal and unchangeable. Constituted before the founda-
tion of the world, it is to endure when no traces of such a system
having once existed shall any more be found.
3. The foods have lifted vp, O Lord, the foods have lifted up their voice .*.
the foods lift up their w<ives. 4. TV.e Lord on high is mightier than the noisQ
of many waters, yen, than the mighty waves of the sea.
In the first of these verses, the church appears like a ship in a
stormy sea, to which she is often compared. Persecutions and afflic-
tions are those " floods," those " waves" of this troublesome world,
which threaten every moment to overwhelm and sink her. With a
fearful and desponding tone of voice, therefore she crieth out, " The
floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice j
the floods lift up their waves !" But immediately she strengtheneth
and comforteth lierself in the Lord her God : " The Lord on high is
mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves
of the sea." He can say to sorrows and temptations, as he doth to^
the waters of the ocean, " Peace, be still ; hitherto shall ye come,
but no further:" and his word is endued with equal power in both
cases.
5. Thy testimonies are very sure ; holiness bccometh thine hmise^ O Lord,
for ever.
God's " testimonies" are the promises made in Scripture to the
church, that he will be with her, during the afflictions which befaL
her here below, and will, in time, deliver her out of all her troubles.
These " testimonies are very sure ;" these promises do not, they can-
not rai\ "Holinei^s," therefore, which consisteth in obedience and
patien^ \ " becometh," is the proper ornament, grace, and beauty of
"his house," and of Christians, those living stones that compose it.
Sacred and inviolable is the word of our King ; sacred and inviolable
should be the loyalty of his subjects.
PSALM XCIV.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist, complainm^ of corrupt and troublous times, in the person
of thf church, 1 — 4. prayelh for the downfal of prosperous wickedness ; 5, 6. ho
de«cribeth the cruelty, and, 7 — 11. reproveth the atheistical folly of those who per-
secute God's people ; 12, 13. he exiolleth the blessedness of the persecuted, if they^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 33^
are endued with faith and patience, inasmuch as, 14, 15. (he divine promise and
their future reward are certain ; he, therefore, 16, 19. throweth himself wholly upon
God, whose mercies never fail, who, 20, 21. cannot be on the side of iniquity, but,
22, 23. will preserve his saints and destroy their enemies.
1. O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongetK O God to whom vengeance
helongeth, show thyself. 2. Lift up thyself thou judge of the earth; render a
reward to the proud.
The church, however unjustly oppressed and afflicted, remember-
eth that " vengeance helongeth" not to her, had she the power to in-
flict it, but "to God" only, who hath said, "Vengeance is mine, I
will repay." Rom. xii. 19. To him, therefore, she maketh her sup-
plication, that he would manifest his glory in her salvation ; that he
would ascend the tribunal, " as judge of the earth," try her cause,
and avenge her of her insolent and cruel persecutors.
3. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph ?
4. How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of
iniquity boast themselves ?
The " triumphs" of wickedness, the "hard speeches," taunts, and
scoffs of infidelity, against Christ, and all who belong to him, are a
continual grief of heart to the faithful in the world, who desire no-
thing so much as to see the empire of sin at an end, and ihe king-
dom of righteousness established. But for this great event they must
wait with patience, until the time appointed by the Father, when
the iniquities of the world, and the sufferings of the church shall be
full. "I saw under the altar," saith the well-beloved John, "the
souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testi-
mony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? And white robes were
given unto every one of them, and it was said unto then, that they
should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also, and
their brethren, that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled."
Rev. vi. 9. &c.
5. They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage,
6. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
Some instances of cruelty, exercised by the enemies against the
" people and heritage" of God, are here specified. " Widows, stran-
gers, and orphans," are destitute of the help and protection afl^brded
by husbands, friends, and fathers. Christ is become an husband ro
the church, a father to her children, and the only friend to both
in time of need. Else were we all in the state of strangers and or-
phans, exposed, with our widowed mother, to the unrelenting malice
and fury of the great oppressor and murderer.
7. Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob re-
gard it. 8. Utiderstand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools when
will ye be wise ? 9. He that planted the ear. shall he not hear ? he that formed
the eye, shall he not see ? 10. He that chastiseth the heathen, shall he not be
correct? he thai teacheth man knowledge, ehall not he know? or, hf> that in-
structeth the nations, shall not he rebuke ; even he that teacheth man kowledge?
The Psalmist informeth us, that men are encouraged in their in-
340 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
justice and villany, by a persuasion that God doth not behold or re-
gard what they do to his people. The absurdity of such a conceit
is shown from these considerations; that it is God who bestoweth on
man the powers of seeing and hearing, and therefore that he himself
must needs be possessed of those powers in the highest perfection ;
that it is God who hath instructed the world, by his revelations, in re-
ligious knowledge, and consequently, without all doubt, he cannot
be ignorant of the use and abuse which men make of that his un-
speakable gift.
11. T%e Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
So far is God from being a stranger to the actions, that he is privy
to the first " thoughts" of men, from whence those actions flow ; he
is acquainted with all their counsels against his church, and know-
eth them to be as vain as the imagination that he is ignorant of
them. The wicked can no more escape the hand, than they can
elude the eye of Heaven.
12. Blessed is the man whom, thou chastenest, or, instructest, O Lord, and'
teachest him out of thy law : 13. That thou may est give him rest from the
days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
Since, therefore, the schemes of the adversary are vain, and the
counsel of Jehovah shall infallibly stand, happy is the man who,
having learned, from the Scriptures of truth, the lessons of faith
and patience, enjoys tranquillity of mind in time of trouble, while
destruction is preparing for the impenitent. Then, when " the days
of adversity" are over, shall pain and sorrow take a final leave of
the rigfhteous to go and dwell with the wicked to eternal ages. The
former shall enter into the rest and joy of their Lord ; the latter, into
the fire prepared originally for the devil and his angels.
14. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake 'his in-
heritance. 15. But judgment shall return unto righteousness ; and all the
upright in heart shall follow it.
The faith and patience of the saints are built upon the foundation
of God's promise not to " cast off and forsake," howpver he may
chasten and correct, his " people and inheritance." At a fit time,
"judgment shall return to righteousness," which it might seem to
have forsaken: iniquitous oppressors shall meet with the punish-
ment they have deserved, and the faithful shall experience the pro-
mised redemption. For thus Dr. Hammond renders and expounds
the last clause of the two verses under consideration — "and after
this," i. e. after "judgment" shall have " returned to righteousness,
all the upright in heart ;" i. e. it shall be their time ; they shall suc-
ceed and flourish. Such were those halycon days enjoyed by the
Jews, after the fall of Babylon, and their return to their own land ;
such those times of refreshment to the church Christian, when the
Pagan persecutions were at an end, and the Roman empire became
Christian. Far more transcendent is the felicity of a soul when it
exchanges the miseries of the world for the delights of paradise,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 341
there to wait, with its sister spirits, until the bodies of saints shall
pass from the dishonours of the grave to the glories of immortahty.
16. Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers ? or, who will stand up
for me agauist the workers of iniquity ? 17. Unless the Lord had been my
help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
But in the mean season, while " evil-doers " are permitted to pros-
per, and " the workers of iniquity " carry on their designs, the pro-
phet asks, in the person of the church, who is there that will or can
protect, defend, and deliver ? The answer is, God only can do it :
" Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in
silence," or, I had almost been in the state of death. How often
have our spirirtual enemies arisen against us, threatening to bring us
into a state of eternal death, but the Lord Jesus was our help and
our salvation !
18. When 1 said, my foot slippeth ; thy mercy, O Lord, hdd me up.
When the child of God, walking in the slippery paths of life,
find^h himself falHng into temptation, if he confesseth his inabihty
to stand his ground, and crieth out, like Peter on the water, to his
heavenly Father, " Lord, save me, I perish ;" a merciful, gracious,
and powerful hand will immediately be stretched out to support his
steps, and establish his goings.
19. In the midtitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my
soul.
The excellent Norris, in a masterly sermon on this verse, has
given us the following elegant and affecting paraphrase of it : —
" When my mind sallies out into a multitude of thoughts, and those
thoughts make me sad and heavy, anxious and solicitous, as pre-
senting to my view my own weakness and infirmity, and the uni-
versal vanity of all those seeming props and stays, upon which my
deluded soul was apt to lean ; the many great calamities of life, and
the much greater terrors of death ; the known miseries of the pres-
ent state, and the darkness and uncertainty of the future ; still urg-
ing me with fresh arguments of sorrow, and opening new and new
scenes of melancholy, till my soul begins to faint and sink under
the burden she has laid upon herself; when I am thus thoughtful,
and thus sorrowful, then it is, O my God, that I feel the relief of
thy divine refreshments ; I find myself supported and borne up by the
strong tide of thy consolations, which raise my drooping head, strike
a hght into my soul, and make me not only dismiss, but even forget,
that sorrow and melancholy, which my thoughtfulness had brought
upon me." Who that reads this will not thankfully take and fol-
low the advice offered in another part of the same discourse?
" Whenever, therefore, thoughts arise in thy heart, and troubles
from those thoughts ; when thy mind is dark and cloudy, and all
the regions of the soul are overcast ; then betake thyself to thy
oratory, either to thy closet, or the church, and there entertain thy
soul with the pleasures of rehgion, and the satisfaction of a clear
conscience." See Norris's Practical Discourses, vol. iii. ser. 4.
342 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth
mischief by a law ?
One consideration whicli affordeth comfort to the faithful under
persecution and affliction, is this, that God can never be on the side
of oppression and injustice, though, to answer wise and salutary pur-
poses, he may, for a time, suifer them to have the dominion, and to
establish iniquity by law. A distinction there certainly must be be-
tween right and wrong; and the former must as certainly triumph
at the last day.
21. They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and
condemn the innocent blood.
Righteousness and innocence are most atrocious crimes, in the
eyes of wickedness and guilt. For these crimes Cain slew his bro-
ther Abel, the Jews crucified Christ, the pagans tortured and mur-
dered his disciples, and bad men in all ages have persecuted the
good. " Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." 1 John,
hi. 13. ^
22. But the Lord is my defence : and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity^ and shall cut them off in
their own wickedness ; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
Jehovah is our " defence ;" we fear not the fiery darts of the
enemy : He is " the rock of our refuge;" we bid defiance to the rage
and malice of earth and hell. Armed with the shield of faith, and
the sword of the Spirit, we rise superior to every effort of diabohcal
malice and secular power ; waiting, in patience and hope, for the
coming of that day when He who hateth unrighteousness, and with
whom the throne of iniquity can have no fellowship, shall visit the
wickedness of the wicked upon them ; when the world of the un-
godly shall share the fate of apostate Jerusalem, and the righteous
shall be glorified with their Lord and Saviour.
NINETEENTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM XCV.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm hath been long used in the Christian church, as a proper
introduction to her holy services. It containeth, 1, 2. an exhortation to praise Je-
hovah, 3. for his greatness, 4, 5. and for his works of creation ; 6. men are invited to
worship him as their Maker, and 7. as their Preserver; 8 — 11. they are warned
against tempting and provoking him, by the example of the Israelites in the wilder-
ness. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews hath taught us to consider the
Psalm as an address to believers under the gospel.
1, O come, let its sing unto the Lord : let tis make a joyful noise to the rock
of our salvation.
In this first verse Christians now exhort and stir up each other,
as the Jews did of old, to employ their voices in honour of Jehovah,
to celebrate " the rock of their salvation." Jesus, by redeeming us
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 343
vfrom our enemies, hath opened our lips, and our mouths ought,
therefore, to show forth his praise. He is the Rock of Ages, in
which is opened a fountain for sin and uncleanness; the Rock
which attends the church in the wilderness, pouring forth the water
of life for her use and comfort; the Rock which is our fortress
against every enemy, shadowing and refreshing a weary land. " O
come, then, let us sing unto this our Lord ; let us make a joyful
noise unto this Rock of our salvation."
2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful
noise unto him with psalms.
The " presence" of Jehovah dwelt formerly between the cherubim,
in a tabernacle, or temple, made with hands, whither the Israelites
were to resort, until God became manifest in the flesh. After that
time, the divine presence left the synagogue, and removed into the
Christian church ; by her we are now invited " to come before that
presence with thanksgiving," and, while we " make a joyful noise,"
by chanting these divine " Psalms," to imitate, in some measure,
^' the heavenly choirs, who rest not," from their blessed employment
of praising God, " day or night." Rev. iv. 8.
3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
It is not without reason that w^e are exhorted to " give thanks and
praise unto our God and King ; for he is worthy to receive glory
and blessing :" Rev. v. 12. He is a God above all that are called
by that name ; above those deities which were once worshiped by
the ancient heathen; above the world, which still continues to be
an object of adoration among infatuated mortals. His throne is over
all, and power and dominion are his.
4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is
. his also. 5. The sea is his, and he made it ; and his hands formed the dry
land.
The treasures, which lie hid in the "deep places" of the earth be-
neath ; the majestic pride and " strength of the hills," which tower
above, and lift up their heads to heaven ; the unnumbered waves
of the great and wide " sea," which roll in perpetual motion round
the world; the rich and variegated produce of the "dry land,"
crowned with verdure and beauty; together with everything that
liveth in the waters, or on the earth ; all are under the government
of our God ; by him were all things created ; by him have all things
been redeemed.
6. O come, let tw worship and bow down : let vs kneel before the Lord our
Maker.
As in the beginning of the Psalm we were called upon to "praise"
Jehovah, so here we are invited to humble ourselves before him in
*' prayer." From him we had our being; him, therefore, we are to
supphcate for every other blessing, both in this life, and that which
is to come. And since he made our bodies, as well as our souls, it
'is meet and right that they should bear their part in his service, and
344 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
that internal worship should be accompanied and signified by that'
which is external.
7. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep
of his hand.
An additional reason why we should both praise Jehovah and
pray to him, is the peculiar relation into which he hath been pleased
to put himself by the covenant of grace ; " he is our God ;" we are
the objects of his tender care and unspeakable love : we are his "peo-
ple," and his " sheep ;" his chosen flock, which he hath purchased
with his blood, which he feeds with his word, and refreshes with
his Spirit, in fair and pleasant pastures. From those pastures, O
thou good Shepherd ! suffer us not to stray ; or, if we do stra}^, bring
us speedily back again, by any means which thou, in thine infinite
wisdom, shalt think fit. Wholesome is the discipline which drives
us into the fold and keeps us there.
8. To-day if ye will hear his voice, Tiarden not your hearts, as in the provo-
cation, and as in the day of temptation in the icilderness. 9. When your fa-
thers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
The first clause of these two verses may be joined to the preceding^
verse, thus : '• He is our God, we are the people of his pasture and
the sheep of his hand, if ye will hear his voice to-day ;" that is, if
ye will be his obedient people, he will continue to be your God. Or
else the word dn, translated " if," may be rendered in the optative
form, " O that you would hear his voice to-day," saying unto you,
" Harden not," (fcc. However this be, what follows to the end of the
Psalm is undoubtedly spoken in the person of God himself, who may
be considered as addressing us, in these latter days, by the gospel of
his Son; for so the apostle teaches us to apply the whole passage,
Heb. iii. iv. The Israelites, when they came out of Egypt, bad a
day of probation, and a promised rest to succeed it ; but, by unbelief
and disobedience, they to whom it was promised, that is, the genera-
tion of those who came out of Egypt, fell short of it, and died in the
wilderness. The gospel, in like manner, oflfers both to Jew and
Gentile another day of probation in this world, and another promised
rest to succeed it, which remaineth for the people of God in heaven..
All whom it concerns are, therefore, exhorted to beware lest they
forfeit the second rest, as murmuring and rebellious Israel came-
Bhort of the first. The verses now before us allude to what passed
at the place called " Massah," and " Meribah," from the people thero
"tempting" and striving with their God, notwithstanding all the
mighty works which he had WTought for them, before their eyes.
Exod. xvii. 7. **
10. FiYTty years lon^ was I grieved, or, disgusted, with this generation, and
said. It is a people that do err in their hearts, and they have not known my
ways.
O the desperate presumption of man, that he should ofl^end his
Maker " forty years !" O the patience and long suffering of his Maker,
that he should allow him forty years to offeqd in ! Sin begins in the-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 345
" heart" by its desires " wandering" and going astray after forbidden
objects ; whence follows inattention to the " ways" of God ; to his
dispensations, and our own duty. Lust in the heart, like vapour in
the stomach, soon affects the head, and clouds the understanding.
1 1. Unto whom I sware in my vrrath, that they should not enter into my rest.
Exclusion from Canaan was the punishment of Israelitish con-
tumacy; exclusion from heaven is to be the punishment of disobe-
dience among Christians. To take vengeance on those who reject
the gospel terms, is no less a part of the covenant and oath of God,
than it is to save and glorify those who accept them. Yet men con-
tinue dehberately to commit those sins, which the Almighty standeth
thus engaged to punish with destruction !* " Take heed," therefore,
" brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the Hving God. But exhort one another daily, while
it is called to-day ; lest any of you be hardened through the deceit-
fulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end ; while it is said,
To-day, if ye will hear his voice, haiden not your hearts as in the
provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke ; how-
beit, not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was
he grieved forty years ? Was it not with them that had sinned,
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness ? And to whom sware he,
that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed
not ? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being made us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us
was the gospel preached, as well as unto them ; but the word preached
did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it." Heb. iii. 12, &c.
PSALM XCVL
ARGUMENT. — By common consent of Jews and Christians, we apply this Psalm to
the times of Messiah. 1 — 4. Men are exliorted to sing his praises ; to declare his
salvation ; 4, 5. to acknowledge his supremacy over the gods of the nations, with,
6. the glory and beauty of his sanctuary ; 7 — 9. to give him the honour, the worship,
and the obedience due unto him, and, 10. to publish the glad tidings of his kingdom
being established : 1 1 — 13. j^he whole creation is called upon to rejoice at this great
event. We find, by 1 Chron. xvi. that David delivered out this Psalm, to be sungoa
occasion of temporal blessings prefigurative of future spiritual ones.
1. O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Jehovah, our Redeemer is the person whose praises are to be sung.
* Sensus hujus loci ex Paulo sic concinnandus ; nempe requiem a Deo Israelitis esse
promissam in terrfl, ChananapS,: omnes tamen interim in deserto cecidisse ha,c requie
frustrates : quare Spiritum Sanctum per Davidem ad novam requiem invitisse ; ad no-
vum illud sabbatum ab ipso mundi exordio diei septimoB requie figuratum, novumque
indixisse diem quo sub Christo, in Ecclesia, ac ccelesli patriSi quiesceremus, nisi essemu*
increduli: unde sic concludit Paulas. " Festinemus ingredi in illam requiem." —
Bossuet.
346 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
They are to be sung in a " new" song ; a song calculated to cele-
brate new mercies, prefigured by old ones wrought for Israel in former
times ; a song fit for the voices of renewed and regenerate men to
sing in the new Jerusalem, in those new heavens and that new earth
which constitute the new creation, or kingdom of Jesus Christ. And
as the mercies of God are universal, extending themselves not only
to the Jews, but to all the nations of the earth, all the nations of the
€arth are therefore exhorted to bear a part in this new song : '• Sing
unto the Lord a new song ; sing unto the Lord all the earth." ThuS
St. John, after reckoning up the 144,000, or full number of those
who were sealed to salvation from among the tribes of Israel, pro-
ceeds to tell us, that he " beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which
no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands." All these sung a new song,
which none could learn but the redeemed ; they •' cried with a loud
Toice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and to the Lamb." See Rev. v. vii. xiv.
2. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name ; show forth his salvation from day
to day.
Again are we excited to sing unto the Lord Jesus, and in psalms,
and hymns, and spiritual songs, to bless his saving name. The latter
clause of the verse is very expressive in the original, inc^ " preach,"
or, " evangelize his salvation from day to day ;" let it be the constant
theme of all your discourses ; publish it to the world in every pos-
sible way, by your words, and by your actions ; and while God
allows you breath and life, let one day transmit the glorious employ-
ment to another, until it be resumed and continued in heaven to all
eternity.
3. Declare his glory among the heathen ; his wonders among all people.
The "glory" of Messiah in his incarnation, his life, his death, res-
urrection, ascension and kingdom, the " wonders" or miracles by
him wrought upon the bodies and souls of men ; these were the
things " declared among the heathen," even " among all people," by
the apostles and their successors ; these things are still declared, by
the Scriptures read and sermons preached in the church, which was
gathered originally from among the Gentiles.
4. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised ; he is to be feared above
all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols, or, things of nought;
but the Lord made the heavens.
Christ is to be celebrated, his glory and wonders are to be declared,
because he is, in every possible sense, " great ;" great in dignity, in
power, in mercy ; and therefore " greatly to be praised" by every
creature. The heavens and heavenly bodies, adored by the nations,
were no gods, but the works of " his" hands who had fixed his ever-
lasting throne high above them all. At the pubhcation of the gos-
pel, idolatry fell before it ; and what is the world itself but one great
idol, which is to fall and disappear in Uke manner ?
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 347
6. Honour and majesty are before him ; strength and beauty are in hia
sanctuary.
What are the splendour and magnificence of earthly courts, when
compared with that glory and majesty, the unutterable brightnesa
of which fills the court of the heavenly King ? Some portion of
this celestial light is communicated, through grace, to the Christian
church, which is described by St. John under images borrowed from
the figurative sanctuary, and the earthly Jerusalem, as an edifice
composed of gold and precious stones, illuminated by the glory of
God and the Lamb residing in the midst of it. See Rev. xxi.
7. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds, or, families, or, tribes, of the people,
give unto the Lord glory and strength. 8. Give unto the Lord the glory due
unto his name ; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9. O worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness : fear before him, all the earth.
In these three verses, the tribes of the spiritual Israel are enjoined
to ascribe to their Redeemer all " glory and strength," as essentially
inherent in him, and by him communicated to his people ; to give
him the entire " glory of his name," and of that " salvation" imported
by it ; to bring the " sacrifices" of the new law, and to assemble in
the " courts" of his house ; to worship him in that beauty " of holi-
ness" which is constituted by the regular and solemn services of the
church ; to " fear" and obey him, as the subjects of a King invested
with plenitude of power in heaven and earth.
10. Say among the heathen, thai the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be
established that it shall not be moved : he shall judge the people righteously.
In other words — Make proclamation, therefore, O ye apostles and
preachers of the gospel, that a new and eternal kingdom is erected ;
the usurped empire of Satan is overthrown, and the Lord Jesus,
having redeemed mankind, reigneth in the hearts of his people by
faith ; a community is formed, not upon the plan of secular policy,
but upon the divine principle of heavenly love ; it is established on
immoveable foundations, nor shall the gates of hell prevail against it:
righteousness shall dwell in it, since He, who is the King of righteous-
ness, presides, directs, and determines all things, by his word and his
Spirit.
11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and
the fulness thereof: 12. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein : then
shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord.
Transported with a view of these grand events, and beholding in
spirit the advent of King Messiah ; the Psalmist exults in most ju-
bilant and triumphant strains, calling the whole creation to break
forth into joy, and to celebrate the glories of redemption. The
heavens, with the innumerable orbs fixed in them, which, while they
roll and shine, declare the glory of beatified saints ; the earth,
which, made fertile by celestial influences, showeth the work of grace
on the hearts of men here below ; the field, which, crowned with
«the produce of an hundred fold, displayeth an emblem of the fruit
yielded by the seed of the word in the church ; the trees of the
348 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
wood, lofty, verdant, and diffuse, apt representatives of holy persons,
those " trees of righteousness," the " planting of Jehovah," Isa. Ixi.
3, whose examples are eminent, fair, and extensive ; all these are,
by the prophet, excited to join in a chorus of thanksgiving to the
Maker and Redeemer of the world.
13. For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shrill judge the
world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
The coming of Christ is twofold ; first he came to sanctify the
creature, and he will come again to glorify it. Either of his king-
doms, that of grace, or that of glory, may be signified by his "judg-
ing the world in righteousness and truth." If creation be repre-
sented as rejoicing at the establishment of the former, how much
greater will the joy be at the approach of the latter ! seeing that,
notwithstanding Christ be long since come in the flesh, though he
be ascended into heaven, and have sent the Spirit from thence, yet,
*' the whole creation," as the apostle speaks, Rom. viii. 22, " groan-
eth and travaileth in pain together until now, expecting to be deliv-
ered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the
sons of God. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have
the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within our-
selves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body ;"
when at the renovation of all things, man, new made, shall return
to the days of his youth, to begin an immortal spring, and be for
ever young.
PSALM XCVII.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, 1. the reign of Christ is again celebrated, and the na-
tions are again called to rejoice on that account. 2 — 7. He is described as taking'
vengeance on his enemies, overthrowing idolatry in the heathen world, commanding-
adoration from all creatures, and, 8, 9. inspiring gladness into the church, by subdu-
ing her enemies. 10 — 12. The duties of holiness, thankfulness, and religious joy are
inculcated.
1. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of the islee
be glad thereof.
Triumphant over death and hell, the Lord Jesus is gone up on
high, and "reigneth." What greater cause can the whole earth
have to "rejoice ;" yea, even the most distant isles of the Gentiles, to
"be glad," and to sing for joy ; since they are all become his subjects,
and share the unspeakable blessings of so gracious a reign ? We
Britons, as inhabiting one of those heathen isles, and enjoying so fair
a portion of evangehcal blessings, have reason to repeat this verse,
with a particular pleasure and energy. The Hebrews called by the
name of "isles," d^^x, not only countries surrounded by the sea, but
all the countries which the sea divided from them ; so that the term
became synonymous with "Gentiles." 'I'hus it is said, Isa. xlii. 4,
" The isles shall wait for his law ;" which passage, Matt. xii. 21, ia
expounded as follows : " In him shall the Gentiles trust."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. Z4$
2. Clouds and darkness are round about him : righteousness and judg-
ment are the habitation, or, establishment, of his throne.
When the mercy and grace of our heavenly King are to be de-
scribed, he is likened to the sun shining in a clear firmament, and glad-
dening universal nature with his beneficent rays. But when we are
to conceive an idea of him, as going forth, in "justice and judgment,"
to discomfit and punish his adversaries, the imagery is then borrow-
ed from a troubled sky ; he is pictured as surrounded by " clouds and
darkness ;" from whence issue lightnings and thunders, storms and
tempests, affrighting and confounding the wicked and impenitent.
3. Afire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 4. His
lightnings enlightened the world : the earth saw and trembled. 5, The hills
melted like wax at the presence of the Lord ; at the presence of the Lord of
the whole earth.
The judgments of God, and their effects upon the world are here
set forth, under the usual similitude of lightning and fire from heaven,
causing the earth to tremble, and the mountains to melt and dissolve
away. The exaltation of Christ to the throne of his kingdom, was
followed by a dreadful display of that vengeance which broke in pie-
ces the .Jewish nation, and brought their civil and religious polity to
an utter dissolution. In the history of their destruction, the world
of the ungodly may view a striking picture of the great and terrible
day when the Lord Jesus shall render a recom pence to all his ene-
mies. He is then to descend in flaming fire ; lightnings shall be his
harbingers; the earth shall tremble ; and' the hills shall, literally,
" melt like wax at the presence of Jehovah."
G. The heavens declare his righteousness ; and all the people see his glory.
" The heavens," by the manifestation of vengeance from thence,
reveal, "declare," and proclaim, the "righteous" judgments of Mes-
siah ; and "all the people" upon earth are witnesses of the "glory"
of his victory over every thing that opposeth itself to the establishment
of his kingdom. This will be more eminently the case at the second
advent, when the trumpet of the archangel shall proclaim his ap-
proach in the clouds of heaven, and all the tribes of the earth shall see
him coming in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels.
7. Confounded be, or, shall be, all they that serve graven images, that boast
themselves of idols : worship him, all ye gods.
When Jesus was exalted, his gospel published, and his power and
glory made known in the heathen world, men grew " ashamed" of
their " images, and boasted themselves in their idols" no more. The
last clause of our verse, " Worship him ye gods," declares the su-
premacy of Christ over all that are called gods, d-^h^jn, in heaven and
in earth, who are enjoined to pay adoration unto him, instead of
claiming it for themselves.
8. Sion heard, and was glad; and the daughters ofJudah rejoiced, because
of thy judgments. O Lord. 9. For thou. Lord, art high above all the earth:
thou art exalted far above all gods.
The inhabitants of the new " Sion," or the people of God, " hearil''
350 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the tidings, that idols and idolatry were fallen, and the Lord Jesus
reigned triumphant ; they heard, and " were glad ; the daughters
of Judah," or Christian churches, "rejoiced" in the Holy Ghost, with
joy unspeakable, "because of these judgments" of their God upon
his enemies, whereby he evinced himself superior to the powers of
the earth, and the gods of the nations. Thus, at the fall of Baby-
lon, it is said, Rev. xviii. 20, " Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and
ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her."
And Eusebius speaks in the following terms, of the times under
Constantine, which succeeded the overthrow of Maxentius and
Maximin : — " A bright and glorious day, no cloud overshadowing
it, did enlighten, with rays of heavenly light, the churches of Christ
over all the earth ; — and among all Christians there was an inex-
pressible joy, and a kind of celestial gladness." Ecclesiast. Hist. b. x.
10. Yp. that love the Lord, h^te evil : he preserveth the souls of his saints^
he deiivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Having sung the glory of the Redeemer, the Psalmist delineates
the duty of the redeemed. They are characterized by their " love
of God ;" they are enjoined to " hate evil ;" this hatred is, indeed, a
consequence, and a sure proof, of that love, when it is genuine and
sincere. Religion must be rooted in the heart, and spring from
thence. A Christian must not only serve God outwardly, but must
inwardly "love" him ; he must not content himself with abstaining
from overt acts of sin, but must truly " hate" it. They who do so
are " the saints of God, whose souls he preserveth" from evil, and
will finally " deliver" from the evil one, and his associates, by a hap-
py death, and a glorious resurrection.
11. Light is sown for the righteous; and gladness for the upright in
heart.
However gloomy our prospects may at any time be, let us wait
patiently, as the husbandman doth all the winter, in expectation of
a future crop, from the seed which lieth buried in the earth. "Light
and gladness are sown for the righteous and true hearted," though
they may not yet appear ; the seed-time is in this world ; the harvest
will be in that to come. " In due season we shall reap, if we faint
not." Gal. vi. 9.
12. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous ; and give thanks at the remembrance
of his holiness.
Tribulation itself, therefore, should not prevent our " rejoicing ift
Jehovah our righteousness," who justifieth us from our sins; no ad-
versity ought to make us negligent in celebrating, with thanksgiving,
the " commemorations of his holiness," which the church hath ap-
pointed to be observed; to the end that we may always remember,,
with gratitude, how great things he hath done for us already, and
reflect, with comfort, on those much greater things which he hath
promised to do for us hereafter.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 351
NINETEENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM XCVIII.
ARGUMENT. — In this evangelical hymn, the prophet, 1 — 3. extols the miracles, the
victory, the salvation, the righteousness, the mercy, and truth of the Redeemer ; on
account of which, 4 — 9. he calls upon man, and the whole creation, to rejoice and
praise Jehovah.
1. O sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvellous things :
his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory.
New mercies and wonders demand new songs. And what mer-
cies, what wonders can be compared with those wrought by the holy-
Jesus ? " Go and tell John," saith he to John's disciples ; go and tell
all the world, saith he to his own disciples, " the things which ye see
and hear ;" the marvellous things which I do to the bodies and to
the souls of men. " The blind receive their sight," and the ignorant
minds are enhghtened with knowledge; "the lame walk," and
strength is communicated to impotent souls ; "the lepers are cleans-
ed," and the lascivious rendered chaste ; " the deaf hear," and the
obstinate listen to instruction and reproof; "the dead are raised,"
and sinners justified ; " the gospel is preached," and the world con-
verted. " His own right hand and his holy arm" hath done these
marvellous things, without and against all worldly power ; not by
spear and sword, but by patience and charity, he hath " gotten the
victory," and gained the glorious day.
2. TTie Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he
openly showed in the sight of the heatlien.
The " salvation" of Jehovah was " made known" by the preach-
ing of Christ himself in Judea, for the space of three years ; his
" righteousness," whereby sinners are justified, was " openly showed,"
by the sermons of his apostles, "in the sight of the heathen." Still
let that salvation be made known, still let that righteousness be
openly showed, by the ministers of the gospel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in, and the remnant of the Jews converted ;
until antichrist be overthrown, and death himself fallen before the
all-conquering cross.
3. He hath remembered his mercy and truth towards the house of Israel:
all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
In sending the Messiah, God showed himself mindful of the
promises, which " mercy" prompted him to make, and " truth" re-
quired him to perform. These promises were made " to the house
of Israel :" to the lost sheep of that house Christ declared himself
sent ; and the apostles offered salvation first to the Jews : but to
them it was never intended that evangelical blessings should be con-
fined. The prophets spake in plain terms of the call of the Gentiles,
who were to be adopted into the holy family, and made the children
of Abraham. The gospel was accordingly preached to the nations,
362 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the apostles made their progress through the world, and "all the
ends of the earth saw the salvation of God." The Jews fell from
the faith of their fathers, and to this day continue in their apostacy.
And are not the Gentiles, in their turn, faUing away, after the same
example of unbelief? "Remember," yet once again, O Lord, thy
" mercy and truth toward the house of Israel ;" yet once again let
'' all the ends of the earth see thy salvation."
4. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth ; make a loud noise, and
rejoice, and sing praise. 5. Sing unto the Lord uith the harp ; with the harp
and the voice of a psalm. 6. With trumpets and sound of cornet ynake a joy-
ful noise before the Lord the King.
The Psalmist, beholding in spirit the accomplishment of the
promises, the advent of Christ, and the glory of his kingdom, thinks
it criminal in any creature to be silent ; he bids the whole earth
break forth into joy. and exult in God our Saviour, with every token
of gratitude and thankfulness ; with voices, and instruments of all
kinds, in perfect harmony, with tempers and affections according in
hke manner, men are enjoined to sound aloud the praises of their
great Redeemer.
7. het the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein. 8. Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills he joyful together.
9. Before the Lord ; for he cometh to judge the earth : with righteousness shall
he judge the world, and the people with equity.
The inanimate parts of creation are called upon to bear their parts
in the new song, and to fill up the universal chorus of praise and
thanksgiving, in honour of him that sitteth upon the throne. Or,
perhaps, the converted heathen nations are intended under the figures
of the "sea," the "rivers," and the "hills," and their exultations ex-
pressed by the noise of many waters, their beauty and fruitfulness
by those of the hills, when, crowned with plenty, they, as it were,
laugh and sing at the approach of harvest. The subject of this
general joy is, as before, in Psalm xcvi. 13, the advent of Messiah to
reform the world, to execute judgment upon the wicked, and to
estabhsh a kingdom of righteousness upon the earth. We expect
his second advent to restore all things, to judge the world, to con-
demn his enemies, and to begin his " glorious" reign. Then shall
heaven and earth rejoice, and the joy of the redeemed shall be full.
PSALM XCIX.
ARGUMENT. — Under images borrowed from the old dispensation, the prophet cele-
brates, 1. the reign of Messiah, and the submission of his enemies ; 2—4. his exalta-
tion, holiness, power, and justice ; which, 5. men are exhorted to acknowledge and
adore. 6 — 9. The examples of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are introduced, to en-
courage us in worshipping and serving our God and Saviour.
1. Tlie Lord reigneth, let the people tremble : he sitteth between the cheru-
bims ; let the earth be moved, or, bow.
Jehovah reigneth in the Christian church, as he did of old in the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 363*
-Jewish temple; when he appeared between the cherubims in the
holy of holies, in the form and likeness of a man, encompassed with
" glory ;" Ezek. i. 26 ; Numb. vii. 89 ; he subdued the enemies of
Israel, when they raged most furiously against his people ; he will
also bring into subjection the adversaries of the gospel, and finally
render us victorious over the powers of darkness. The passions and
affections may mutiny and rebel ; but if Christ reign in the heart by
faith, they must soon tremble and submit.
2. The Lord is great in Zion^ and he is high above all people. 3. Let them
praise thy great and terrible name ; for it is holy.
The powder and pre-eminence of the Redeemer, whom no creature
is able to resist, are reasons why all should save themselves, by yield-
ing in time to his sceptre ; by taking the benefit of his protection,
instead of incurring his displeasure ; by " praising his great, terrible,
^nd holy name," instead of suffering the almighty vengeance, which
he, who owns that name, can inflict.
4. Tlie king''s strength also loveth judgment ; thou dost establish equity^
thou cxecutest judgment and righteousness hi Jacob. 5. Exalt ye the Lord
our God, and worship at his footstool ; for he is holy.
For although the " strength" of our King be infinite, yet it is never
exerted, but in "righteousness" and just "judgment," which are his
delight : they compose the firm basis of his throne, and direct his
whole administration. Impenitent rebels must feel the weight of
his arm, and none can accuse the justice of their punishment : but
in all other cases he is " mighty only to save." Isa. Ixiii. 1. This
hoUness of his proceedings, tins due temperament of justice with
mercy, the redeemed are exhorted to acknowledge and to proclaim,
falling down before the throne, and uttering the angelical trisagion,
*' Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is
to come."
6. Moses and Aaron among Ids priests, or, chief rulers, and Samuel among
them that call upon his name ; they called upon the Lord, and he answered
them. 7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar : they kept his testimonies,
and the ordinance that he gave them.
To encourage the faithful in the worship of God, the examples of
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are fidduced, men of like infirmities with
ourselves, whose prayers were heard, both for themselves and others,
and answers were returned to them from the mystic " cloud," that
symbol of the divine presence, which, for a while, was itinerant with
the camp in the wilderness, and then became fixed in the tabernacle
at Shiloh till its last removal to Mount Sion. These men were
heard through the intercession of the great Mediator, whom they
represented. Through that same intercession our prayers also are
heard, if we " keep his testimonies, and the ordinances that he hath
given us."
8. Th(M answercdM them, O Lord our God : thou wast a God that far-
cgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
The construction of the verse seems to be this : " O Lord our
45
354 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
God, thou didst hear, or answer them," that is, the afore-mentioned
typical mediators, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel ; '^ thou becamest a
forbearing God for them," or, at their intercession ; and that, "even
when punishing," or, when thou hadst begun to punish, "the
wicked deeds of them," that is, not of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel,
but of the people, who had transgressed, and for whom they inter-
ceded. This was the case when Moses interceded for the idolaters ;
Exod. xxxii. 32 ; Aaron for the schismatics ; Numb. xvi. 47 ; and
Samuel for the whole nation ; 1 Sam. vii. 9. " Pray one for ano-
ther," saith an apostle to Christians, " that ye may be healed : the
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James,
V. 16.
9. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill : for the Lord our
God is holy.
The Psalmist repeats his exhortation, enforced by the preceding
examples of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, and again invites all peo-
ple to worship a " holy" God in a " holy" place, and to adore the
consummate rectitude of all his proceedings, singing, with the spirits
above, " Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ;
just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." Rev. xv. 3.
PSALM C.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist invites all the world to join with the Israelites in the
service of him who was kind and gracious to them beyond expression. Accordingly,
we Christians now properly use this Psalm in acknowledgment of God's wonderful
love to us in Christ ; by whom we offer up continually spiritual sacrifices, for re-
deeming us by the sacrifice which he made of himself; for making the world anew,
and creating us again unto good works ; according to his faithful promises, which we
may depend upon for ever. — Patrick.
1. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands : 2. Serve the Lord ivith
gladness : come before his presence with singing:
The prophet addresseth himself to "all lands," or to "all the
earth ;" to Gentiles, as well as Jews. He exhorteth them to "make
a joyful noise," a noise hke that of the trumpets at the time of jubi-
lee, a sound of universal triumph and exultation, in honour of "Je-
hovah," now become their Lord and Saviour. The service of this
our Master is perfect freedom ; it is a service of love, a freedom from
Pharaoh and the task-masters, from Satan and our own imperious
lusts ; it is a redemption from the most cruel bondage, into the
glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us therefore do as we are
commanded ; let us " serve the Lord with gladness ;" and when we
come "before his presence" in the temple, let it be "with singing"
to the " praise and glory " of our Redeemer. Thus he is served in
heaven, and thus he delighteth to be served on earth.
3. Know ye that the Lord he is Gody it is Ac that hath made iw, and not
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 355
we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Or, He hath
made us, and we are his* his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
The motives here urged for serving and praising Jehovah are the
same with those above, in Psahn xcv. 6, 7 ; namely, that he is our
"God," engaged by covenant on our behalf; that his hands created
us, and have since new created us ; that we stand in the peculiar
relation of his " people," whom he hath chosen to himself, and over
whom he presideth as King ; that w^e are " the sheep of his pasture,"
for whom the good Shepherd laid down his Hfe, and whom he
nourisheth, by the word and sacraments, unto eternal life. These
are points which every Christian ought to "know" and believe, unto
his soul's health. And whoever doth know them aright, will ever be
ready with heart and voice to obey the injunction which folio weth
in the next verse.
•'
4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise :
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
The Christian church is a temple, whose "gates" stand continu-
ally open, for the admission of the nations from all the four quarters
of the world. Rev. xxi. 13, 25. Into the " courts" of this temple,
which are now truly " courts of the Gentiles," all men are invited
to come, and offer their evangelical sacrifices of "confession and
praise;" to express their gratitude to their Saviour, and "bless" his
gracious and hallowed "name." How glorious will be that day
which shall behold the everlasting gates of heaven lifting up their
heads, and disclosing to view those courts above, into which the chil-
dren of the resurrection are to enter, there, with angels and arch-
angels, to dwell and sing for evermore !
5. For the Lord is good ; his mercy is everlasting : and his truth endu-
reth to all generations.
" Jehovah is good ;" he is the source of all beauty and perfection
in the creature ; how altogether lovely must he needs be in himself!
" His mercy is everlasting," extending through time into eternity ;
and " his truth," or fidelity in accomplishing his promises, " endureth
to all generations," evidenced to the whole race of mankind, from
Adam to his last born son. The Psalms which celebrate these at-
tributes, wnll never, therefore, be out of date, but each successive
generation will chant them with fresh propriety, and fresh delight,
until by saints and angels they are sung new in the kingdom of
God.
PSALM CI.
ARGUMENT. — In the person of David, advanced to the throne of Israel, we hear
King Messiah declaring how he intended to walk, and to govern his household, the
* " I am persuaded that the Masoretical correction 1^1 (and we are his) is right;
the construction and parallelism both favour it." — Bishop Lowth. A correspondent
suggestb — Might not the clause be rendered interrogatively — "Are not we his people,
and the sheep of his pasture ?"
^6 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
church ; and also describing the qualifications which he should require in his' ministers
and servants
1. I mil sing- of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
David having determined to sing unto Jehovah, chooseth for his
theme " mercy and judgment ;" either that mercy which God hath
shown to him, and that judgment which hath been inflicted on his
enemies ; or else, that upright administration of mercy and judg-
ment with which he himself intended to bless his peo]jle. The
righteous administration of mercy and judgment in the kingdom of
Messiah is a topic on which his subjects always expatiate with
pleasure and profit. His mercy encourageth the greatest of sinners
to hope ; his judgments forbid the best of men to presume.
2. / will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come
unto me ? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
In return for the favours of heaven, we hear the Israelitish mon-
arch declaring his resolution, to set his court and kingdom an exam-
ple of true wisdom and unshaken integrity ; at the same time sigh-
ing for that visitation of divine grace, which alone could enable him
to put his resolution into practice, ^'O when wilt thou come unto
me?" This was ever the voice of the church, longing for the pres-
ence of God in human nature, " O when wilt thou come unto me V^
And this must ever be the wish of a Christian, who knoweth that
though in himself he be nothing, yet that he can do all things
through Christ, who strengtheneth him by his Spirit in the inner
man. Messiah was the only King of Israel w^hose hfe held forth to
his subjects a pattern of wisdom and righteousness, and w^hose death
procured them grace, in their different measures and degrees, to fol--
low it.
3. [will set no wicked thing before mine eyes : I hate the work of them tliat
turn aside, it shall not cleave to m,e.
" I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes ;" that is, I will not
propose to myself, or think of carrying into execution, any iniquitous
scheme of politics, however advantageous and tempting it may ap-
pear ; I will turn away my eyes and my attention, and reject it at
once : " I hate the work of them that turn aside ;" of them who, in
their counsels and their actions, deviate from the divine law to
serve tlieir own interest ; " it shall not cleave to me ;" no such cor-
rupt principle shall adhere to my soul, or find a place in my affec-
tions. How noble a resolution for a king to make ; but how diffi-
cult an one for a king to keep ! Thou only, O King of Righteous-
ness, didst never set any wicked thing before thine eyes ; thou only
hadst a perfect aversion to the ways of transgressors.
4. Afroward. heart shall depart from me : I will not know a wicked person.
As is the king, so will be the court ; as is the master of the house,
such will be those of his household. David, having resolved to
"walk within his house with a perfect," a sincere and upright "heart,"
determines at the same time to expel from thence all whose hearts were
g A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 857
perverted and depraved : as he would" set no wicked thing before his
eyes," so neither would he form any connexions with " wicked per-
sons ;" they should not be of his acquaintance, much less should
they be his favourites. In the same manner speaketh our heavenly
King, with regard to the appointment of his ministers and servants :
— '-'I know you not, whence you are; depart from me, all ye work-
ers of iniquity." Luke xiii. 27.
5. Whoso privily slander eth his neighbour , him will I cut off: him that hath
an high look, and a proud, or, extended, and therefore, insatiable^ heart, will
not I suffer.
Detraction, ambition, and avarice, are three weeds which spring
and flourish in the rich soil of a court. The Psalmist declareth his
resolution to undertake the difficult task of eradicating them, for the
benefit of his people, that Israelites might not be harassed by inform-
ers, or oppressed by insolent and rapacious ministers. Shall we
imagine these vice^^ less odious in the ej^es of that King whose char-
acter was composed of humihty and charity? or will Christ admit
those tempers into the court of heaven which David determined to
exclude from his court upon earth ?
6. Mine eyes shall be upon the fcnthful of the land, that they may dwell
with me ; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
The " eyes" of princes cannot bs better employed than in looking
around them^ in order to choose, from among their own subjects, fit
and able men to transact the pubhc business ; men of inviolable
" fidelity," and unshaken integrity ; men who know how to think
aright, and how to speak what they think ; men likewise who " walk
in the perfect way" of holiness, who do not disgrace their politics by
their lives, or prejudice their master's cause by their sins, more than
they can ever advance it by their abilities. Bishops may be called
the " eyes" of Christ ; they are to " overlook" his people, and we
pray him at the seasons of ordination, " so to guide and govern their
minds, that they may foith fully and wisely make choice of fit per-
sons to serve in the sacred ministry of the church."
7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth
lies shall not tarry in my sight.
To purge a court of " deceit" and " falsehood," was a resolution
worthy king David, worthy the representative of him who styleth
himself the Truth, from whose heavenly palace and city will be for
ever excluded, as St. John informeth us, " whosoever loveth and
maketh a lie." Rev. xxii. 15.
8. / will early destroy all the wicked of the land : that 1 may cut off all
wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
Every earthly prince should consider himself as raised to a throne,
and invested with power, " for the punishment of wickedness and
vice, -and the maintenance of God's true religion and virtue."
" Early," therefore, in the " morning" of his reign, he should set^
about the work of^reformation, that so the blessings of heaven may
358 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. ^
descend upon himself and his people, according to the infallible prom-
ises of the Most High. And let each individual, in like manner,
and for the same reason, be zealous and diligent to reform his own
heart and ways, ever mindful of that future most awful morning,
when the King of Righteousness shall " cut off," with the sword of
eternal judgment, " all wicked doers from that city of Jehovah," the
new and heavenly Jerusalem.
TWENTIETH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is entitled " A prayer of the afflicted, when he is over-
whelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord." It seems to have beea
written during the captivity, by one of the prophets, who, like Daniel in parallel cir-
cumstances, 1, 2. maketh supplication before his God, 3>— 11. setteth forth, in the
most affecting strains, his wretched and sorrowful estate, or rather, perhaps, that of
Jerusalem, which he personates ; 12. he comforteth himself, by reflecting on the
eternity and immutability of Jehovah ; 13 — 22. he predicteth and describeth the
restoration of Sion, with her enlargement by the accession of the Gentiles, when
Messiah shall have visited and redeemed^her ; 23, 24. he returneth. again to his la-
mentations ; but 25 — 28. again reposeth his confidence on him who created all
things, and who would not fail to make good his word and promise, if not to the
generation then present, yet to their posterity. This is the fifth of those styled
*' Penitential Psalms ;" and St. Paul, Heb. i. 10, hath asserted, that it is addressed to
the eternal Son of God, and Saviour of the world.
1. Hear my prayer^ O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. 2. Hide not
thy face from, me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto m^:
in the day when 1 call, answer me speedily.
Sin and sorrow force '-'prayers" and "cries" from the sons of
Adam. The first petition here preferred is, that these prayers and
cries may be "heard" in heaven. The day of human hfe is "a
day of trouble," a day of darkness and gloominess, which nothing
can brighten, but the light of God's " countenance ;" nothing can
render comfortable, but a " speedy answer" of mercy and peace from
above.
3. Fhr my days are consumed away like, or, in, smoke, and my hones are
burnt as an hearth, or, a firebrand.
The effects of extreme grief on the human frame are compared
to those which fire produceth upon fuel. It exhausts the radical
moisture, and. by so doing, soon consumes the substance. A man's
time and his strength evaporate in melancholy, and his " bones,"
those pillars and supports of his body, become like wood, on which
the fire hath done its work, and left it without sap, and without co-
hesion. A single penitent, or a whole church, bewailing their re-
spective transgressions, when under the rod of God, may use these
words, and will understand the force of them.
4. My heart is smitten and withered like grass ; so that I forget to eat my
bread.
The metaphor is continued, and the " heart "'itself, out of which
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 369
flow the streams of life, is represented as suffering that from grief
which the "grass" of the field suffers from the burning heat of the
sun : it is " smitten and withered." And when grief hath thus dejected
the spirits, the man has no appetite for that food which is to recruit
and elevate them. Ahab, smitten with one kind of grief, David
with another, and Daniel .with a third, all "forgot," or "refused to
eat their bread:" 1 Kings, xxi. 4 ; 2 Sam. xii. 16; Dan. x. 3.
Such natural companions are " mourning and fasting."
5. By reason of the voice of my groaning^ my hones cleave to my skin.
Extremity of sorrow causeth the flesh to waste, and the bones to
press upon the skin, through which they are ready to force their way.
Sickness is the chastisement of heaven, inflicted often upon us to
supply the want of that discipline which we should exercise upon
ourselves. " For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be
judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord,
that we should not be condemned with the world." 1. Cor. xi. 31.
6. / am like the pelican of the wilderness : I am like an owl, or, bittern, of
the desert, or, of waste, ruinous places. 7. 1 watch, and am as a sparrow
alone upon the hou^e-top.
The sorrowful man is naturally desirous of retiring from the
world, to vent his complaints in solitude, and to pass the nights in
watchfulness and prayer. In such a situation the true penitent
placeth himself, worthily to bewail his sins, and deprecate the judg-
ments of his God. And to such a situation did captivity place the
daughter of Sion, that she might do hkewise. The use which
Daniel made of it for this purpose may be seen in his ninth chapter.
8. Mine enemies reproach me all the day: and they that are mad against
me, are sworn against me.
The scoffs and reproaches of men are generally added to the chas-
tisements of God ; or rather, pe^^aps, are a part, and sometimes the
bitterest part of them. How the enemies of Jerusalem behaved, in
the day of her calamity, is well known. How carnal and ungodly
men behave to a penitent, when mourning for his sins, under the
afflicting hand of heaven, is as well known.
9. For, or, Therefore, I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink
Mnih weeping. 10. Because of thine indignation and wrath ; for thou hast
lifted me up, and cast me dawn.
By " eating ashes and drinking tears," we may understand the
same as if it had been said, " 1 have eaten the bread of humihation,
and drank the water of affliction ;" ashes being the emblem of one,
and tears the consequence of the other ; while the actions of " eat-
ing and drinking," intimate to us the fulness and satiety which the
sufferer had experienced of both, from the " wrath and indignation
of God." Prosperity and adversity are from him: "he lifteth up,
and he casteth down;" he hfteth up Jerusalem above all the earth*;
and he cast her down, to be trodden under foot by the Gentiles.
360 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
11. My days are like a shadow that declineth : and lam withered like grass.
12. But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever ; and thy remembrance unto all
generations.
A " shadow" never continueth in one stay, but is still gliding im-
perceptiby on, lengthening as it goes, and at last vanisheth into
darkness. The period of its existence is limited to a day at furthest.
The rising sun gives it birth, and in that moment when the sun
sets it is no more. The " grass" of the field, in 'like manner, hath
a being of the same duration. In the morning, clothed with ver-
dure and beauty, refresheth and delighteth the eye of the beholder ;
but the evening findeth it cut down, dried up, and withered. Such
is the life of man, sojourning in the land of his captivity, and do-
ing penance for his sins. But the eternity of Jehovah, the infalli-
bility of his promises, and the remembrance of his former works
and merciesj comfort our hearts, and encourage us to hope, nay,
even to rejoice, in the midst of sorrow and tribulation.
13. Thou shall arise, and have mercy upon Sion ; for the time to favour
her, yea, the set time is come. 14. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones^
and favour the dust thereof.
From this passage, and what follows, it appears that the suppliant,
in this Psalm, bewails not only his own miseries, but those of the
church. Israel was in captivity, and Sion a desolation. A " time"
notwithstanding, a " set time," there was at hand, when God had
promised to " arise, and to have mercy upon her." The bowels of
her children yearned over her ruins ; they longed to see her rebuilt,
and were ready, whenever the word of command should be given,
to set heart and hand to the blessed work. Such ought to be our
affection towards our Sion, how^ever afflicted and destitute she may,
at any time, appear to be ; such should be our faith in the promises
of God concerning the future glorification of his church, at the time
appointed.
15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord : a7id all the kings of
the earth thy glory. 16. When the Lord shall build up Sion, he shall appear
in his glory. 17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise
their prayer.
The object to which the prophets of old had chiefly respect, was
not only the deliverance of Israel from Babylon, and the rebuilding
of the material temple, but the salvation of sinners, and the erection
of the Christian church, in the days of Messiah's kingdom. "When
the Lord" Jesus thus " built up Sion, he appeared in his glory : the
heathen feared his name, and all the kings of the earth" adored his
majesty, because he had " regarded the prayer of the destitute" sons
of Adam, in their worse than Babylonish captivity, and had arisen
himself to be their Saviour and mighty Deliverer. We, in these
latter days, look and pray for the second appearance of the same
Redeemer, with power and great glory, to raise the dead, and to
build up from the dust a Jerusalem which shall experience no more
vicissitudes, but continue for ever in unchangeable beauty and
brightness.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 361
18. TTiis shall be written for the generation to come; and the people which
shall be created shall praise the Lord.
The history of " this" redemption and restoration by Messiah, thus
foretold, hath been " written" in the Gospel for the benefit of " after
generations," to the end that " the people who are created" anew in
Christ Jesus may, from age to age, praise Jehovah, in psalms and
hymns, and spiritual songs ; as it is done at this day in the church,
and will ever continue to be done, till the choirs of heaven and earth,
shall be united before the throne of the Lamb.
19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary: from heaven
did the Lord behold the earth ; 20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
to loose those that are appointed to death; 21. To declare the name of the
Lord in Sion, and his praise in Jerusalem ; 22. When the people are gathered
together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
Redemption is the subject of praise in the Christian church ; and
the process of that great work is here described by images borrowed
from the temporal deliverance and restoration of Israel. God is
represented as looking with an eye of pity from heaven upon poor
mankind ; as hearing the groans of sinners, fast bound in the chains
of their sins, and sentenced to death eternal ; as coming down to
forgive and to release them ; that, being so forgiven and released,
they might cause the church to resound with his praises, when, upon
the preaching of the gospel, it should be filled with converts assem-
bled from every people and kingdom of the world. Look down, O
Lord Jesu, yet once again upon thy servants, still under the dominion
of death, and the bondage of corruption ; loose these chains, even
these also, O Lord, and bring us forth into the glorious liberty of
thy children ; that, with the whole assembly of the redeemed, in the
heavenly Jerusalem, we may bless and praise thy name for ever and
ever.
23. He weakened my strength in the way ; he shortened my days. ■
The prophet, in the person of captive Sion, having, from verse 13
to verse 22, expressed his faith and hope in the promised redemption,
now returns to his mournful complaints, as at verse IL Israel
doubteth not of God's veracity, but feareth lest his heavy hand should
crush the generation then in being, before they should behold the
expiration of their troubles. They were in "the way," but their
" strength" was so " weakened," and their " days shortened," that
they almost despaired of holding out to their journey's end. A sore
trial hath the Christian church to undergo in the last days, before
the second advent of her Lord and Saviour. Strong faith and in-
vincible patience will be necessary to enable her to endure until the
end shall come.
24. And I said, Omy God, take me not away in the midst of my days : thy
years are throughout all generations.
Israel prayeth that the holy seed might not be extirpated, and
perish by a kind of untimely death, ere yet the promise had been
made good, and Sion had seen the salvation of her God. Every
46
362 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
man hath reason to pray, tliat God would not " take him away in
the midst of his days," or call upon him when unprepared ; but that
time may be allowed him to perfect his repentance, and to work out
his salvation.
25. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth ; and the heavens are
the work of thy hands. 26. They shall perish, but thou shall endure ; yea,
all of them shall wax old like a- garment, as a vesture shall thou change them,
and they shall be changed. 27. But thou art the same, and thy years shall
have no end.
Amidst the changes and chances of this mortal life, one topic of
consolation will ever remain, namely, the eternity and immutability
of God our Saviour, of him who was, and is, and is to come. King-
doms and empires may rise and fall ; nay, the heavens and the earth,
as they were originally produced and formed by the Word of God
the Son, or second person in the Trinity, to whom the Psalmist here
addresseth himself, see Heb. i. 10 ; so will they, at the day appointed,,
be foldecf up and laid aside, as an old and worn-out garment ; or, if
the substance remain, the present form and fashion of them will
perish, and they will be utterly changed and altered from the state
in which they now are. But Jehovah is ever the same ; his years
have no end, nor can his promise fail, any more than himself.
" Heaven and earth," saith he, " shall pass away ; but my words
shall not pass away." Matt. xxiv. 35.
28. The children of thy servants shall continue ; and their seed shall be
established, before thee.
Whatever be the fate of the present generation, whether they may
live to see the accomplishment of all that has been foretold or not,
yet the word of God standeth sure ; there shall be always a church,
and a holy seed, to whom the promises shall be made good. They
have already been fulfilled with regard to the advent of Messiah,
and the vocation of the Gentiles. The events which are behind wiU
be brought forward and come to pass in their seasons, until the
counsel of God shall be finished, and every prediction receive its futt.
accomplishment in the glorification of the redeemed.
PSALM cm.
ARGUMENT. — In this evangelical and most comfortable hymn, David, after, 1, 2. ex.-
citing himself to the work, 3 — 5. praiseth Jehovah for the mercies of redemption ;
6, 7. celebrateth his goodness to Moses and Israel ; 8 — 13. setteth forth the divine
philanthropy, under various beautiful expressions and images ; 14 — 16. describeth, in
a manner wonderfully affecting, man's frail and perishable state ; but, 17, 18. lead»
eth him, for consolation, to the everlasting mercy of God in Christ, the stability of
whose throne and kingdom, 19. he declareth, and, 20 — 22. calleth upon heaven and
earth to join with him in blessing and praising his holy name.
1. Bless the Lord, O my soul ; and all that is within me bless his holy name.
The Psalmist, about to utter a song of praise, first endeavours to
awaken and stir up his " soul " to the joyful task. He calleth fortii
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 363
all his powers and faculties, " all that is within him," that every part
of his frame may glorify its Saviour; that the understanding may
know him, the will choose him, the affections delight in him, the
heart believe in him, and the tongue confess him. " Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name."
2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Thanksgiving cannot be sincere and hearty, unless a man bear
impressed upon his mind, at the time, a quick sense of " benefits "
received ; and " benefits " we are most of us apt to *' forget ;" those
especially, which are conferred upon us by God. Therefore David
repeateth his self-awakening call, and summoneth all his powers of
recollection, that none of the divine favours might continue un-
noticed and unacknowledged. A catalogue of such particular mer-
cies, temporal and spiritual, as each individual hath experienced
through life, might be of service, to refresh the memory upon this
important head.
3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities : who healeth all thine infirmities.
At the head of God's mercies must for ever stand '' remission of
gin," or that full and free pardon purchased for us by Jesus Christ,
whereby, if we truly repent and believe in him, our transgressions,
though ever so many, and ever so great, are done away, and be-
come as if they had never been ; from a state of guilt we pass into
one of justification, from a state of enmity into one of reconciliation,
from a state of servitude into one of liberty and sonship. Next to
the pardon of sin, considered as a crime, we are to commemorate
the cure of it, considered as a disease, or indeed as a complication of
diseases : — " Who healeth all thine infirmities." The body experi-
enceth the melancholy consequences of Adam's offence, and is sub-
ject to many " infirmities ;" but the soul is subject to as many.
What is pride, but lunacy? what is anger, but a fever? what is
avarice, but a dropsy? what is lust, but a leprosy? what is sloth,
but a dead palsy ? Perhaps there are spiritual maladies similar to
all corporeal ones. When Jesus Christ was upon earth, he proved
himself the physician of men's souls, by the cures which he wrought
upon their bodies. It is he alone who " forgiveth all our iniquities;"
it is he alone who " healeth all our infirmities." And the person
who findeth his sin " cured," hath a well-grounded assurance that
it is " forgiven."
4. Who red^meth thy life from destruction; who crowneth, or, encircleth^
thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.
Man hath two "lives;" he is, therefore, subject to a double "de-
struction ;" and, consequently, capable of a two-fold " redemption."
He who is recovered from sickness, and thereby redeemed from that
destruction which natural death bringeth upon the body, will un-
doubtedly sing this strain in transports of gratitude ; and he ought so
to do. But what will be the sensations of him who celebrates, in the
same words, the spiritual redemption of his soul from death and de-
364 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
struction everlasting? How is he "crowned" with the "loving
kindness" of Jehovah ; how is he " encircled " by the arms of
" mercy !" " Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand
riches and honour :" never ending " length of days ;" true " riches,"
that abide for ever ; and " the honour which cometh from God
only."
5. Wio saiisfieth thy mouth with good things ; so that thy youth is re-
newed like the eaglets.
It is God who giveth us the "good things" of this world, and
who giveth us likewise an appetite and a taste to enjoy them. It is
God who restoreth a body, emaciated by sickness, to bloom, vigour,
and agility. And he doth greater things than these. He " satis-
fieth" all the desires of the soul with a banquet of spiritual dainties,
and bestoweth on her a relish for the same. By the renovating
power of his Spirit, he restoreth her from decrepitude, to the health
and strength of a young " eagle,"* so that she can ascend up on
high, and contemplate the splendour of the Sun of righteousness.
Thus, at the day of the resurrection, clothed anew with salvation
and glory, the body likewise shall arise from earth, and fly away as
an eagle toward heaven, to begin an immortal life, and be for ever
young.
6. 7^ Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are op-
jyressed. 7. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children
of Israel.
From a consideration of his own particular case, the Psalmist
maketh a general reflection on that attribute of God, which inclineth
him to deliver his people, and to punish their oppressors, of what
kind soever they be. And here that grand display of the " ways"
and " works" of Jehovah, the redemption of " Israel" by the hand
of " Moses," immediately occurs, and is celebrated. Thus each pri-
vate mercy, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, should remind
us of that public and universal blessing of redemption by Jesus
Christ, from which every other blessing floweth, as a stream from its
fountain, and for which God ought, therefore, upon all occasions, to
be praised and glorified.
8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
When Moses desired Jehovah to show him his " way" and his
" glory," Exod. xxxiii. 13, 18, Jehovah passed by, and proclaimed
himself, as here, " Jehovah, merciful and gracious," &c. Exod.
xxxiv. 6. How full of consolation to the penitent soul are all the
words of this verse ! " The Lord is merciful," ?2im, the bowels of
* Of all birds it is known that they have yearly their moulting times, when they shed
their old, and are fresh furnished with a new stock of feathers. This is most observable
of hawks and vultures, and especially of " eagles," which, when they are near an
hundred years old, cast their feathers, and become bald and like young ones, and then
new feathers sprout forth. Thus St. Ambrose, " Aquila longam eetatem ducit, dum
yetUBtis plumis fatiscentibus, nova, pennarum Buccessione juvenescit" — Dr Hammond*
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 365
his tender compassion yearn over us, as those of a mother yearn
over the child of her womb ; '• yea, the woman may forget her
sucking child, yet can he not forget us:" Isa. xlix. 15. He is "gra-
cious," ii^rr, ready to give us freely all things that are needful for our
salvation. He is " slow to anger," bearing with the frowardness of
his children, with their provocations and relapses for forty, fifty, sixty,
seventy years together, before he strikes the blow ; giving them, by
this his long-suffering, time for repentance. And he is " plenteous
in mercy," Tcnm, " great, mighty in mercy," placing his chief glory
in this attribute, and hereby teaching us how to estimate true
greatness.
9. He will not always chide : neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins ; nor rewarded us according- to
our iniquities.
God's chastisements are some of the most eminent proofs of his
mercy. They are sent to reclaim us, and to save us from eternal
punishment. They continue not always, but are removed when
they have done their work ; and while they last, are as nothing in
comparison of those heavy stripes which our sins have deserved.
11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy to-
wards them that fear him. 12. As far as the east is from the west, so far
hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13. Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them thai fear him.
We are here presented with three of the most beautiful,' apposite,
and comforting similitudes in the world. When we lift up our eyes,
and behold around us the lofty and stupendous vault of heaven, en-
circling, protecting, enlightening, refreshing, and cherishing the
earth, and all things that are therein, we are bidden to contemplate
in this glass the immeasurable height, the boundless extent, and the
salutary influences of that mercy which, as it were, embraceth the
creation, and is over all the works of God. Often as we view the
sun arising in the east, and darkness flying away from before his
face towards the opposite quarters of the heavens, we may see an
image of that goodness of Jehovah, whereby we are placed in the
regions of illumination, and our sins are removed and put far away
out of his sight. And that our hearts may, at all times, have confi-
dence towards God, he is represented as bearing towards us the fond
and tender affection, of a " father," ever ready to defend, to nourish,
and to provide for us, to bear with us, to forgive us, and to receive us
in the parental arms of everlasting love.
14. For he knmoeth our frame ; he rem,pmhereth that we are dust. 15. As
for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall
know it no more.
The consideration of man's frail and perishable estate* weighs
with the Almighty, and prevails upon him to spare his creature.
And doth not the tear of compassion start in the eye of him who.
reads the description which David hath given of it in these verses ?
366 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
" Man," fallen man, mortal man — " his days are as grass ;" like that
he Cometh out of the earth, and continueth but a short tinae upon it ;
" as a flower of the field," fair but transient, " so he" unfoldeth his
beauty in youth, and " flourisheth" awhile in the vigour of man-
hood ; but lo, in a moment, the breath of heaven's displeasure, as a
blighting " wind passeth over him, and he is gone ;" he boweth his
drooping head, and mingleth again with his native dust ; his friends
and his companions look for him at the accustomed spot, which he
once adorned — but in vain — the earth has opened her mouth to re-
ceive him, and " his place shall know him no more."
17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting vpon tJiem
that fear him ; and his righteousness unto children's children : 18. To such
as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do
them.
Let not man presume, who withereth like the green herb ; but
then, let not man despair, whose nature, with all its infirmities, the
Son of God hath taken upon him. The flower which faded in
Adam, blooms anew in Christ, never to fade again. " The mercy
of Jehovah," in his Messiah, " is everlasting ;" and of that everlast-
ing mercy, poor frail man is the object. It extendeth to all the gen-
erations of the faithful servants of God. Death shall not deprive
them of its benefits, nor shall the grave hide them from the effica-
cious influence of its all-enlivening beams, w^hich shall pierce even
into those regions of desolation, and awaken the sleepers of six
thousand years. Man must pay to justice the temporal penalty of
his sins ; but mercy shall raise him again, to receive the eternal re-
ward, purchased by his Saviour's righteousness. A passage in the
First Epistle of St. Peter doth most admirably illustrate this part of
our Psalm : " We are born again not of corruptible seed, but of in-
corruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away ; but the
word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by
the gospel is preached unto you." 1 Pet. i. 23, &c.
19. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens ; and his kingdom
rvleth over all.
The glorious person who worketh all these wonders of mercy for
his people, the Word of God, and Saviour of the w^orld, is trium-
phantly seated upon his " throne in heaven," and is possessed of all
power to accomplish his will, even until all things shall be subdued
unto him. The glories of his throne, the brightness of his excellent
majesty, and the might of his irresistible power, are described at large
by St. John, Rev. iv. v. xix.
20. Bless the Lord, ye fits angels, that cancel in stren^h, that do his com-
mandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. 21. Bless ye the Lord,
all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. 22. Bless the
Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion : bless the Lord, O my
soul.
Joy is observed to be of a diffusive and communicative nature,.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 367
The heart of the Psalmist is full and overfloweth with it. Unable
worthily to praise Jehovah for his mercies vouchsafed to the church,
he inviteth heaven and earth to join with him, and to celebrate in
full chorus,, the redemption of man. St. John saw the throne of
Messiah prepared; he beheld the universal band assembled ; and he
heard when " all the angels round about the throne, ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, with every creature
in heaven, earth, and sea," lifted up their voices and sang together,
" Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him tliat sit-
teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."
TWENTIETH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CIV.
ARGUMENT. — This is an eucharistic hymn, full of majesty and sweetness, ad-
dressed to Jehovah, as Creator of the world. It setteth forth his glory, wisdom,
goodness, and power, displayed, 1 — 9. in the formation of the heavens and earth ;
10 — 18. in the various provision made for beasts, and birds, and for man, the lord of
all ; 19 — 24. in the revolutions of the celestial bodies, and the consequent inter-
changes of day and night, of labour and rest ; 25, 26. in the sea, and every thing
that moveth in or upon the waters. 27 — 30. The dependence of the whole creation
upon God for its being and well being, is beautifully represented, with, 31, 32. the
glory which the Creator receiveth from his works, the pleasure which he taketh in
them, and the power which he hath over them. 33. The Psalmist declareth his
resolution ever to praise Jehovah, and, 34. predicleth the destruction of those who
refuse or neglect so to do. As there is a similitude between the natural and th(3
spiritual creation, allusions of that sort are frequently made in the ensuing comment,
which may, perhaps, point out the reason why the church hath appointed this Psalm
to be used on Whitsunday.
1. Bless the Lord, O my soul : O Lord my God, thou art very great, thou
art clothed with honour and majesty ; Heb. with glory and beauty. 2. Who
cover est thyself with light as with a garment ; who stretchest out the heavens
like a curtain, i. e. of a tent, or, pavilion.
The Scriptures inform us, that the same person who redeemed
the world did also create it. In the hundredth and second Psalm, as
we are assured by St. Paul, " to the Son it is said. Thou, Lord, in
the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens
are the works of thy hands." To him, therefore, as Creator, is the
hundredth and fourth Psalm likewise addressed. He is described as
invested with " the glory which he had with the Father before the
world was ;" a glimpse of which he vouchsafed to the three disci-
ples, who were present at his transfiguration, when " his face did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the hght." The
first instance of his creating power is afforded us by the " heavens,"
which form a magnificent "canopy, or pavilion," comprehending
within the earth, and all the inhabitants thereof. It is enlightened
by the celestial orbs suspended in it, as the holy tabernacle was by
the lamps of the golden candlestick, and it was originally framed,
erected, and furnished by its Maker, with more ease than man can
368 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
construct and pitch a "tent" for his own temporary abode. Yet
must this noble pavilion also be taken down ; these resplendent and
beautiful heavens must pass away, and come to an end. How
glorious then shall be those " new heavens," which are to succeed
them, and to endure for ever !
3- Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters : who maketh the
clouds his chariot : who walkeih upon the wings of the wind.
The divine Architect is here represented as "laying the beams
of his chambers," as compacting his lofts or stories, " in the waters."
Some think the formations of the terrestrial strata in the waters,
which at the beginning covered all things, is here alluded to. If it
be objected, that the Psalmist, in the course of his description, is not
yet arrived at the formation of the earth, but is still in the upper
regions of the air ; may we not suppose that the subject is, in this
particular, a little anticipated, which is no uncommon case in the
sacred writings ? The generality of expositors, however, interpret
the passage of those " dark waters, compacted into thick clouds of the
skies," which the Almighty is elsewhere said to make the " secret
place, or chamber" of his residence, and a kind of " footstool " to his
throne. Ps. xviii. 9, 11. And thus, indeed, the former part of our
verse is plainly and immediately connected with what follows;
" who maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings
of the wind." How astonishingly magnificent and tremendous is
the idea which these words convey to us, of the great King riding
upon the heavens, encompassed with clouds and darkness, attended
by the hghtnings, those ready executioners of his vengeance, and
causing the world to resound and tremble at the thunder of his
power, and the noise of his chariot wheels ! By these ensigns of
royalty, these emblems of omnipotence, and instruments of his dis-
pleasure, doth Jehovah manifest his presence, when he visiteth re-
bellious man ; to make him own and adore his neglected and in-
sulted Lord. See and compare Ps. xviii. 10, and the context.
4. Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a faming fire.
From the manner in which these words are introduced, and the
place where they stand, one should conceive the meaning of them
to be, that God employeth the elements of air and fire and the winds,
riim^, and the lightnings, as his messengers, tdnJj^c, and ministers to
execute his commands upon the earth.* But the apostle, Heb. i. 7,
informeth us, that they have a further reference to immaterial an-
gels ; either because those angels often appeared in the likeness, or
because they were endued with the properties of " wind and flame."
Intellectual beings of the highest order in the realms above, are as
ready to fulfil the word of Jehovah as are the elements of this
lower world. Both teach a lesson of obedience to the sons of men ;
those of them, more especially, who are appointed " angels" of the
churches, and " ministers" of Christ.
* In the French translation it is — " Who maketh the winds his angels, the flaming
fire his ministers."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 365^
5. Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not he removed for
ever.
In the original it is, "Who hath founded the earth upon its bases.'^
The formation of this globe on which we tread, is a wonderful in-
stance of divine wisdom and power, whether we consider the manner
in which the parts of it are ^put and kept together, or its suspension
in the circumambient fluid, which, as some philosophers suppose, by
pressing upon it on every side, forms so many columns, as it were^
to support and keep it balanced. The words, '' that it should not
be removed for ever," do by no means imply, that the earth is sta-
tionary, or that it is eternal ; but only thus much, that it is so con-
structed as to answer the end, and to last the time for which it was
created and intended. It shall continue the same in itself, and with
relation to other bodies, neither altering its shape, nor changing its
course, till the day appointed for its dissolution ; after which, as there
are to be " new heavens," so will there also ^3e a " new earth."
6. Tlwu cover edst it with the deep, as with a garment : the waters stood
above the mountains. 7. At thy rebuke they fed : at the voice of thy thunder
they hasted away. 8. They go, or, ivent, up by the mountains : they go, or,
went, down by the valleys, unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
9. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over: that they turn not again
to cover the earth.
Most interpreters suppose this to be a description of the situation
of things, and of what was effected by the power of God, on the third
day of the creation, when he said, " Let the waters be gathered to-
gether into one place, and let the dry land appear ; and it was so.'^
Indeed, the process at the creation was so exactly similar to that at
the deluge, with regard to the circumstances here mentioned, that it
matters not to which we apply the beautiful and truly poetical pas-
sage before us. In both cases, the earth was covered with the waters^
as with a garment, in every part ; in both cases, they fled at the
Almighty word, like the scattered remains of a routed army ; from
the heights of mountains, whither they had ascended, they sunk
down into the valleys ; from the valleys they retired to the bed of
the ocean, and a part of them descended from thence into the great
deep that lieth beneath. Bounds were set them, beyond which they
should never pass, to "overwhelm us any more for ever. And the
experience of four thousand years hath taught us, that where the
Creator hath laid his commands, plain sand is a sufficient barrier.
Thus the church hath been delivered from her spiritual enemies ;
and she hath a promise, on which she may with full confidence rely,
that " the gates of hell shall never prevail against her."
10. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11. They give drink to every beast of the field ; the wild asses quench their
thirst.
The waters of the sea are not only prevented from destroying the
earth, but, by a wonderful machinery, are rendered the means of pre-
serving every living thing which moveth thereon. Partly ascending
from the great depth through the strata of the earth, partly exhaled
• . 47
1/
370 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in vapour from the surface of the ocean into the air, and from thence
falling in rain, especially on the tops and by the sides of mountains,
they break forth in fresh springs, having left their salts behind them ;
they trickle through the valleys, between the hills, receiving new-
supplies as they go ; they become large rivers, and after watering,
by their innumerable turnings and windings, immense tracts of
country, they return to the place from whence they came. Thus
every animal hath an opportunity of quenching that thirst which
must otherwise soon put a period to its existence. The " wild asses"
are particularly mentioned, because they live in remote and sandy
deserts ; yet even such creatures, in^uch places, are by the God of
nature taught the way to the waters ; insomuch that the parched
traveller, when in search of a fountain, findeth them to be the best
guides in the world, and needeth only to observe and follow the
herds of them descending to the streams. In the spiritual system,
or new creation, there are wells of salvation, living springs, waters
of comfort, of which all nations, even the most savage and barba-
rous, are invited to come and drink freely. They flow among the
churches ; they descend into the hearts of the lowly ; and they
refresh us in the passage through the wilderness : for even there "do
waters break out, and streams in the desert." Isa. xxxv. 6.
12. By them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation, which sing
among the branches.
" By them," that is, by " springs of water," in the " valleys," the
birds delight to have their habitations, and to sing amidst the verdant
branches which conceal them from our sight. "The music of birds,"
as one hath well observed, "was the first song of thanksgiving which
was offered on earth before man w^as formed. All their sounds are
different, but all harmonious, and altogether compose a choir which
we cannot imitate."* If these little choristers of the air, when re-
freshed by the streams near which they dwell, express their gratitude
by chanting, in their way, the praises of their Maker and Preserver,
how ought Christians to blush, who, besides the comforts and con-
veniences of this world, are indulged with copious draughts of the
water of eternal life, if, for so great blessings, they pay not their trib-
ute of thanksgiving, and sing not unto the Lord the songs of Sion !
" He that at midnight, when the very labourer sleeps securely, should
hear, as I have often done, the clear airs, the sweet descants, the
natural rising and falling, the doubling and redoubling of the night-
ingale's voice, might w^ell be lifted above earth, and say, Lord, what
music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou afford-
est bad men such music upon earth !" Walton's Complete Angler,
p. 9.
13. He watereth the hills from his chambers : the earth is satisfied with the
fruit of thy works. 14. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb
for the service of man : that he may bring forth food out of the earth ;
* Wesley's Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation, i. 149.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 371
15. And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to
shine, and bread, which strengtheneth man's heart.
The fertility of the earth is owing to God, who for that purpose
" watereth " it, vr\vby>^, " from his chambers," whether the word hath
a reference to the clouds above, or the depths below, for both are
concerned in the operation. Hence all the glory and beauty of the
vegetable world ; hence the grass, which nourisheth the cattle, that
they may nourish the human race ; hence the green herb, for food
and for medicine ; hence fields covered with corn, for the support of
life ; hence vines and olive-trees laden with fruits, whose juices ex-
hilarate the heart, and brighten the countenance. Nor let us forget
the spiritual benedictions corresponding to these external ones ; the
fruitful ness of the church through grace, the bread of everlasting
life, the cup of salvation, and the oil of gladness.
16. 7%e trees of the Lord are full of sap ; the cedars of Lebanon, which
he hath planted.
The whole earth is a garden, planted by the hand, and watered
by the care of Jehovah. But in a more especial manner is his glory
set forth by the lofty and magnificent cedars, which, growing wild
on the mountain and in the forest, owe nothing to the skill and in-
dustry of man. The moisture of the earth, rarefied by the heat of
the sun, enters their roots, ascends in their tubes, ahd by due degrees
expands and increases them, till they arrive at their growth. God
hath also another garden, in which there are other trees of his plant-
ing, called by Isaiah, ch. Ixi. 3, " trees of righteousness." These
are his faithful servants, who, through the Spirit which is given
unto them, become eminent and steady in goodness ; their examples
are fragrant, and their charity diffusive.
17. Where the birds make their nests : as for the sta)% the fir-trees are
her house.
Most admirable is that wisdom and understanding which the
Creator hath imparted to the birds of the air, whereby they distin-
guish times and seasons, choose the properest places, construct their
nests with an art and exactness unattainable by man, and secure
and provide for their young. " Is it for the birds, O Lord, who have
no knowledge thereof, that thou hast joined together so many mira-
cles? Is it for the men who give no attention to them? Is it for
those who admire them, without thinking of thee? Rather is it not ■
thy design, by all these wonders, to call us to thyself? to make us sen-
sible of thy wisdom, and fill us with confidence in thy bounty, who
watchest so carefully over these inconsiderable creatures, two of
which are sold for a farthing ?"*
18. 7%e high hills are a refuge for the wild goals, and the rocks for the
conies.
The same force of what we call instinct prevails in terrestrial
. ..
* Wesley, as above.
372 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
animals, and directs them to places of refuge, where they may be
safe from their enemies. Thus the wild goats climb with ease to
the tops and crags of mountains, where they deposit their young.
And thus animals of another kind, which are more defenceless than
the goats, and not able to climb Hke them, have yet a way of in-
trenching themselves, in a situation perfectly impregnable, among
the rocks :* we find them, on that account, numbered by Solomon
among the " four " kinds of animals, which, though " little upon the
earth, are exceeding wise. The o^jd-d are but a feeble folk, yet make
they their houses in the rocks." Prov. xxx. 26. They who in
themselves are " feeble " and helpless, should look out betimes for a
mountain of refuge, and a rock of- safety.
19. He appointeth the moon for seasons : the sun knoweth his going down.
From a survey of the works of God upon earth, the Psalmist pro-
ceedeth to extol that divine wisdom which is manifested in the mo-
tions and revolutions of the heavenly bodies, and in the grateful vi-
cissitude of day and night occasioned thereby. A beautiful passage
in the book of Ecclesiasticus will, perhaps, be the best comment on
the former part of this verse : " He made the moon to serve in her
season, for a declaration of times, and a sign to the world. From
the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfec-
tion. The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully
in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining
in the firmament of heaven ; the beauty of heaven, the glory of the
stars, an ornament giving hght in the highest places of the Lord :'^
ch. xlii. 6. The latter part of the verse expresseth the obedience of
the " sun," or " solar light," to the law of its Creator ; it seemeth to
"know" the exact time of its coming on, and going off, and fulfil-
leth the course prescribed to it without the least deviation. O that
we who are endowed with sense and reason, could in hke manner
fulfil our course ; and that God's will were " done on earth," as it is
even " in " this lower and material " heaven !"
20. Thou makest darkness, and it is night : wherein all the beasts of the
forest do creep forth. 21. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek
their meat from God.
Night and darkness invite the wild beasts of the forest and desert
from their dens and recesses, to " seek " the " prey" allotted them by
the providence of that God who feedeth the young lions, as well as
the young ravens, when hunger enforceth them, as it were, to call
upon him. Thus, when a nation hath filled up the measure of its
iniquities, the Sun of Righteousness knoweth the time of his depar-
ture from it ; the light of the gospel is darkened, and a horrible
night succeeds : the executioners of vengeance are in motion, and a
commission from above is given them to seize upon the prey.
* It is uncertain what species of animals is here intended by the word b'^JtlD. But
it is enough for our purpose, that they are creatures remarkable for securmg themselves^
in the manner here mentioned.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 373
22. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together^ and lay them down in
their dens. 23. Man goeth forth to his work and to his labour, until the
evening.
At the return of day, the sons of ravage retire, and skulk away to
their several hiding-places, that man, the lord of the creation, may
arise, and perform, unmolested, the task which his Maker hath ap-
pointed him. When the hght of truth and righteousness shineth,
error and iniquity fly away before it, and the " roaring" lion himself
departeth for a time. Then the Christian goeth forth to the work
of his salvation and to his labour of love, until the evening of old
age warns him to prepare for his last repose, in faith of a joyful
resurrection.
24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! In wisdom hast thou made
them all : the earth is full of thy riches.
Transported with a survey of the wonders which present them-
selves in heaven above, and on earth below, the Psalmist breaks
forth into an exclamation (and what heart hath not already antici-
pated him?) on the variety and magnificence, the harmony and
proportion, of the works of God, in this outward, and visible, and
perishable world. What then are the miracles of grace and glory ?
What are those invisible and eternal things, which God hath pre-
pared for them that love him, in another and a better world, and of
which the things visible and temporary are no more than shadows 1
Admitted to that place, where we shall at once be indulged with a
view of all the divine dispensations, and of that beatitude in which
they terminate, shall we not, with angels and archangels, cry out,
" O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! In wisdom hast thou made
them all ; heaven and earth are full of thy riches, and of thy glory !"
25. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable,
both small and great beasts, or, living creatures. 26. There go the ships ;
there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
There is not in all nature a more august and striking object than
the ocean. Its inhabitants are as numerous as those upon the land,
nor is the wisdom and power of the Creator less displayed, perhaps,
in their formation and preservation, from the smallest fish that
swims, to the enormous tyrant of the deep, the leviathan himself.
By means of navigation. Providence hath opened a communication
between the most distant parts of the globe ; the largest sohd bodies
are wafted, with incredible swiftness, upon one fluid, by the impulse
of another, and seas join the countries which they appear to divide.
In the ocean we behold an emblem of the world : under a smooth
deceitful surface it conceals dangerous rocks, and devouring mon-
sters ; its waves are ever restless, and oftentimes it is all over storm
and tempest, threatening to overwhelm the helpless, despairing
mariner in a moment ; such is the voyage we all have to make ere
we can reach the desired haven, and attain that happy clime, where,
as we are told, there is "no more sea." Rev. xxi. 1.
374 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
27. niese wait all upon thee : that thou mayst give them their meat in due
season. 28, That thou givest them, they gather: thou openest thine hand,
they are jilled with good.
In various ways hath God provided food for the support of all
living creatures, and directed them to seek, and to find it. How
pleasing a speculation is it, to consider the whole family of air, earth,
and sea as " waiting upon" the Father and Lord of all things, ex-
pecting when he should " open his hand," and distribute to each
member his " portion of meat in due season !" The case is the
same with regard to beings intellectual and spiritual, of which is
composed the church and family of Christ in heaven and earth ;
these wait all upon him, by whom Jehovah hath opened the hand
of mercy, and abundantly supplied all our needs, through the riches
of his grace.
29. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled : thou tdkest away their breath,
they die, and return to their dust. 30. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they
are created : and thou renewest the face of the earth.
When God, in the season of winter, seemeth to hide his face, and
to have withdrawn his beneficent influences, we hear the cries of
the creation in distress ; if he recal the breath of life from any
creature, to which he had communicated it, that creature presently
ceaseth to be what it was ; sense and motion are at an end ; the
form and figure of it perish ; and it is resolved into its original dust.
But again he exerteth his quickening power, and, lo, fresh genera-
tions of animals are produced ; fresh crops of vegetables shoot forth
to nourish them ; and there is a renovation of universal nature.
The presence of God, in like manner, is the life, his absence is the
death of the soul. If he withdraw his grace, we perish everlast-
ingly ; but when he "sendeth forth his Spirit," as he did on the day
of Pentecost, " old things pass away, and all things become new ;."
the winter is over and spring succeeds in its place. Nay, the hour
is coming, when, through the same Spirit, he shall also quicken our
mortal bodies, and thus in a more evident and wonderful manner
" renew the face of the earth."
31. 77ie glory of the Lord shall endure for ever : the Lord shall rejoice in
his works. 32. He looketh on the earth, and it trcmbleth • he toucheth the
hillSj and they smoke.
Such being the works of God, so manifold and so marvellous, the
prophet foretelleth, that his " glory," displayed and declared by the
same, should " endure for ever ;" that creatures would never be want-
ing, to give him the praise and honour due unto him ; insomuch
that, graciously accepting this their tribute, and pleased to find a
proper return made him, Jehovah should, as at the first creation,
acquiesce and rejoice in all his works and dispensations. In the
meantime, let the unruly and disobedient reflect upon the greatness
of his power, and the terrors of his vengeance, who with a look can
shake the earth, and with a touch can fire the mountains, as when
he once descended on Sinai.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 375
33. / will sing unto the Lord as long as J live ; I will sing praises unto my
God while I have my being. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet : I will
be glad in the Lord.
And who, O divine Psalmist, will not, "sing" with thee, that hath
an understanding to apprehend, and a tongue to celebrate, the works
of his Maker and Redeemer ? To whom will not thy heavenly
meditations be sweet as honey, fragrant as the breath of spring,
pleasant and cheering as the fruit of the vine? Who doth not long
to partake of thy spiritual joy and holy gladness ?
35. Let the sinners, or, the sinner shall, be consumed out of the earth, and
let the wicked, or, the wicked shall, be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my
soul. Praise ye the Lord.
" The sinners," and " the wicked," are they of whom it is else-
where said, that they "consider not the works of Jehovah, nor re-
gard the operations of his hands," to give him praise and glory for
them. These shall one day experience the power of that God whose
wisdom and goodness they would never acknowledge. They shall
be "consumed," and "perish from the presence of the Lord, and
from the glory of his power, when he riseth to shake terribly the
earth." The Psalmist, therefore, endeth as he began ; " Bless thou
the liord, O my soul ;" adding, by way of exhortation to us, and to
all the world, " Praise ye the Lord." Let us then, with the " four
and twenty elders, fall down before him that sitteth upon the
throne, and worship him that Hveth for ever and ever, saying. Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power ; for
thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created." Rev. iv. 10, 11.
TWENTY-FIRST DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CV.
ARGUMENT. — ^This Psalm, the first part of it at least, to verse 15, we know, from
1 Chron. xvi. to have been composed by David, and given out on occasion of his
placing the ark of God in Sion. It containeth, 1 — 8. an exhortation to praise Jeho-
vah for his works of mercy and power, wrought in favour of Israel. 9 — 44. These
are traced from their source, namely, the covenant made with Abraham, through the
patriarchal history, to the deliverance of the nation from the Egyptians, and its set-
tlement in Canaan ; the end of all which, 45. is declared to have been, that God
might have a people to serve him. The same is true of our redemption by Jesus
Christ, which was the grand subject of the promise made to Abraham, and of which
the temporal mercies, vouchsafed to the patriarchs and their posterity, were so many
pledges and figures.
1. O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds
among the people.
God, who formerly resided in Mount Sion, vouchsafing his pres-
ence in a tabernacle made with hands, hath since blessed the
church with his appearance in the flesh ; and we Christians aie
bound to " make known his deeds," and the mercies which he hath
376 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
wrought for us, " among the people ;" that so all the world may-
know him, and love him, and partake of his salvation.
2. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous
works.
Music and conversation are two things by which the mind of
man receiveth much good, or a great deal of harm. They who
make "Jehovah" and his "wondrous works" the subjects of both,
enjoy a heaven upon earth. And they who do in reality love their
Saviour, will always find themselves inclined to " sing to him,"
and to '• talk of him."
3. Glory ye in his holy name : let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
In whom should the redeemed " glory," exult, and triumph, but
in their Redeemer, who hath made himself one with them, that
they may be one with him? They who "seek" the Lord Jesus
by prayer, should do it with a cheerful and joyous heart, because
better it is to " seek " him, than to find all things else ; and the
soul that is brought to seek him will soon exchange the galling
cares, and tormenting desires of the world, for the hght yoke and
easy burden of her Saviour, in whom she will find rest, and peace,
and comfort. Therefore,
4. Seek the Lord and his strength : seek his face evermore.
By faith we find our Redeemer in this life, and experience the
power and comfort of his grace; but hope and love still seek, and
wish, and aspire after the sight and enjoyment of him in heaven,
whither he is ascended.
5. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the
judgments of his mouth: 6. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children
of Jacob his chosen.
As an encouragement to " seek Jehovah evermore," " the seed of
Abraham and the children of Jacob " are exhorted to bear in mind
the marvellous works " which he had done " for them, as also " the
judgments of his mouth," whether by this phrase we understand
the righteous laws given to his people, or the denunciations and exe-
cutions of vengeance against their enemies. But, alas ! " the seed
of Abraham" kept not the faith of their great progenitor ; " the
children of Jacob" have forfeited the blessing which their father ob-
tained. We Gentiles have been, for a long season, the adopted
"seed of Abraham," and have inherited the benediction of " Jacob."
Let us not forget the " marvellous works" of God in Christ, and the
"judgments of his mouth."
7. He is the Lord our God^ his judgments are in all the earth.
If Jehovah were the " God " of Israel, on account of what, in
covenant, he promised and performed for them, he is now the God
of us all, on account of what he promised and hath performed in
Christ Jesus for them and for us. If, when he settled Israel in
Canaan, "his judgments" were manifested to "all the earth," were
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 377^
they not manifested also when the Christian church was established,
and the idolatrous powers of the world were overthrown by the
gospel ?
8. He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he com-
manded to a thousand generations. 9. Which covenant he made with Abra-
ham, and his oath unto Isaac. 10. And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a
law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant : 11. Saying, Unto thee will I
give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.
Upon bringing the ark to mount Sion, David teacheth Israel to
bless and praise God for his having " remembered his covenant,"
made with an " oath " to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that he would, in due time, settle his people in the land of
Canaan. Now, it is very observable, that in the hymn uttered by
Zacharias, the father of St. John the Baptist, on the subject of our
redemption by Christ, thanks are given to the Lord God of Israel,
because he had " remembered his holy covenant, and performed the
oath w^hich he sware to our forefather Abraham." And what was
that ? Why, " that we being delivered out of the hand of our ene-
mies, should serve him, without fear, in holiness and righteousness."
But when, or where did God promise any such thing to Abraham,
except when he told him, that " his seed should be in bondage four
hundred years," but that " the nation," which detained them in
bondage, should afterwards be "judged," and that they should be
" brought out," and come to "Canaan," Gen. xv. 13, where they
were to " serve" him? The case seems to be this : Zacharias, un-
der the immediate influence and direction of the Holy Spirit, trans-
fers the language of the old dispensation to the affairs of the new
one ; he celebrates the redemption of the world, by Christ, from sin
and death, in words which literally describe the redemption of Israel
from Egypt by Moses ; to teach us, that w^ should regard one as a
sacramental pledge and figure of the other ; that there is another
bondage, in which the people of God are held ; another Moses, who
is to deUver them ; another land of promise and of rest, where they
are to be settled. This the Hebrews might liave known, as St.
Paul tells them, Heb. iv. from a passage in the ninety-fifth Psalm,
where, long after they had been in possession of Canaan, David
speaks of another '^day" of probation, and another "rest." The
Jews have since had a melancholy proof of the same thing, by be-
ing dispossessed of that earthly inheritance which they fidsely deemed
to have been perpetual, and vainly regarded as the end of all the
promises, made to a '• thousand generations," that is (a definite num-
ber being put by and indefinite) to them, and to us, and to " as
many as the Lord our God shall call," while the world shall last.
12. JVhen they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers
in it. 13. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to
anotlier people.
• How wonderful was the display of God's wisdom and power, in
his choosing a single family, and that a small one, the members of
which were literally " strangers and pilgrims upon earth ;" in his
48
378 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
promising to that family, in those circumstances, a large and fertile
country, where the thrones of many princes were then firmly estab-
lished ; and, lastly, in his putting them into actual possession of it,
at the time appointed ! Thus the family of the holy Jesus was at
first but small; "the members of it were a few, yea, a very few;"
they were sojourners in a land not theirs ; " they went from one na-
tion to another ;" nay, they were accounted the "refuge of the world,
and the off'scouring of all things." But, "Fear not, little flock," saith
he unto them, " for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom." Luke, xii. 32. Let us view Israel brought into Canaan,
nor doubt but that believers shall iidierit the kingdom of heaven,
and succeed to the thrones of apostate angels.
14. He suffered no man to do them wrong : yea, he reproved kings for their
sokes ; 15. Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
The patriarchs, during their peregrinations, were often in im-
minent danger ; as Abraham on account of Sarah ; Gen. xx. ; Isaac,
in a similar case ; Gen. xxvi. ; Jacob from Laban ; Gen. xxxi. ; and
from his brother Esau ; Gen. xxxiii. Yet, destitute as they w^ere of
earthly help, the mightiest kings could not hurt them. Their "ways
pleased the Lord, and he made even their enennes to be at peace
with them." Prov. xvi. 7. They were the typical " prophets, and
Messiahs, or Christs,"* of Jehovah ; and kings were forbidden to lift
up a hand against them. How doth the same kind Providence
watch over the body and the members of the true Christ ; how often
hath it interposed to protect and preserve them from the powers of
the world !
16. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land ; he brake the ^chole
staff of bread.
"When Jacob had escaped other perils, we find him and his family-
likely to perish with hunger : Gen. xlii. " Famine" is here finely
represented as a servant, ready to come and go, at the " call" and
command of God ; for calamities, whether public or private, are the
messengers of divine justice. "Bread" is the "staff" which supports
life ; when that staff is " broken," the body fails, and sinks to the
earth. The word of God is the staff of spiritual life, the food and
support of the soul ; and the sorest of Heaven's judgments is that
mentioned by the prophet Amos, ch. viii. 11 : "Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land ;
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the words
of the Lord." Such a famine was sore in all lands, w^hen Christ
made his appearance in the flesh; whose advent, wdth the blessed
* Ideo autem Christ! sive iincti dicuntur, quod essent et sacerdotes et reges : summl
quippe potestate jiriEditi, nullique obnoxii. Hinc fnedera aequo jure pacta cum regibus:
hinc bella suscepta, et quidem nutu suo, auspiciis, ut aiuut, suis. Gen. xiv. 21. Hinc
Hethsei ad Abrahamum : "Audi nos, Domine: Princeps Dei es apud nos." Ibid,
xxiii. 6, neniini obnoxius, nisi Deo. Quo jure Isaacus et .Tacobus usi sunt. Gen. xxvi. &c.
Ad Hebc prophetae erant : ut hie, et Gen. xx. 7. Quos omnes titulos unum Christi
nomen complectitur. Christi autera dicuntur, in typo Christi ipsius ab eis orituri.—
Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 9f$
effects of it, is wonderfully shadowed forth in the prophetical history
of the patriarch Joseph.
17. He sent a man before them, even Josejih who was sold for a servaint ;
18. Whose feet they hurt with fetters ; he was laid in iron.
Joseph and Jesus were both envied, hated, and sold by nheir
brethren ; both suffered by a false accusation ; the former was laid
in irons, the latter crucified, and confined in the prison of the grave,
fast bound with the bands oF death. The wickedness of man, in
workino" its own will, did unwittingly accompHsh the counsels of
God. " As for you," saith Joseph to his brethren, Gen. i. 20, " ye
thought evil against me ; but God meant it unto good, to bring to
pass, as ii is this day, to save much people alive." And how doth
St. Peter address the brethren of that other Joseph ? " Him, being
delivered by the determinate couusel and foreknowledge of God, ye
have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. — And,
now brethren. I wot that through ignorance ye did it. — But those
things which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets,
that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." Acts, ii. 23, and
iii. 17.
19. Until the time that his word came : the word of the Lord tried hirru
Josepli continued in prison " until the time that his word or cause,
in% came" before the king, atid was " known," according to our old
translation ; or, "until his word," or prediction concerning the chief
butler's promotion, "came to pass;" for this was the means of Joseph's
enlargement and justification ; since a person, guilty of the crime
with which he stood charged, would not have been inspired to fore-
tel future events. "Can we find," said Pharaoh, "such an one as
this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is ?" Gen. xli. 38. In
the meantime, the " word," commandment, or decree, d-mk, "of the
Lord tried him" in the furnace of affliction, there refining and pre-
paring him for. his approaching exaltation to glory and honour.
Thus was there a time appointed for the abode of Jesus in the grave,
at the expiration of which, all his promises and predictions were ful-
filled : he came forth, " made perfect through sufferings," and ready
to " enter into his glory."
20. The kinq- sent and loof^ed him ; even the ruler of the people, and let
him. go free. 21. He made him lord of his house, and nder of all his sub-
stance, 22. To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his senators wisdom.
The circumstances of Joseph's advancement, here alluded to, are
related, Gen. xli. &,c. - Those of our liOrd's resurrection and glorifi-
cation afford a marvellous parallel. At the determined hour, " The
King" of heaven "sent" his angel, "and loosed him" from the bands
of death ; " the Ruler of the world let him go free" from the penalty
which he had undertaken to pay, and had now fully paid. " He
made him Lord of his house, the church, and Ruler of all his sub-
stance" in heaven and in earth^,that he might, by his holy discip-
line, "bind princes at his pleasure," and by his gospel "teach" true
** wisdom" to the " senators" and politicians of the world ; he was
380 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
clothed with the robes of majesty, he was adorned with all the ensigns
of royalty, and to him it \vas ordained that •' every knee should bow."
The storehouses of grace and salvation were opened ; the nations
came to be supphed by him with the bread of life ; and w^e look for
that happy day when the Jews shall do the same, and " Joseph
shall be made known to his brethren."
23. Israel also came into Egypt ; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. -
24. And he increased his people greatly ; Cind made them stronger than their
enemies. 25. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal suhtilely with
his servants.
The Psalmist now exhibiteth to our view a fresh scene of tribula-
tion and affliction, which occasioned repeated mercies, and a new
deUverance. Israel, by means of Joseph, obtained an establishment'
in Egypt. But in process of time, the increase and prosperity of
Israel excited the envy and jealousy of Egypt, and brought on a
persecution. The kindness and love of God to his people "turned
the hearts" of the Egyptians against them, and caused animosity to
take place of friendship. A king arose who knew not Joseph, and
measures were concerted to keep the Hebrews under : a royal edici
was issued to prevent their increase, by putting the males to death ;
and the generation then in being was reduced to a state of the most
abject servitude and cruel bondage. Such usage the people of God
have often experienced from the world, at the instigation of him who
in Scripture is styled " the prince of this world."
26. He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen. 27. The^
showed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
When the tyranny and oppression of Pharaoh were at the high-
est, and Israel cried unto Jehovah because of the bondage, he re-
membered his promise to Abraham, and sent Moses, with Aaron, to
effect that mighty deliverance which was to be the grand pledge and
figure of our salvation by Jesus Christ. Of him Moses prophesied j
when he said, " A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto
you of your brethren, like unto me." Deut. xviii. 15, cited and ap-
plied Acts, iii. 22. He came to rescue mankind from a spiritual
bondage, and to deliver all who were "oppressed by the devil:'*
Acts, x. 38. He came at a time when that oppression w^as most
grievous among Jews and Gentiles : his birth was signaUzed by an
order from another Pharaoh to slay the infants ; and Egypt afforded
him a refuge from the tyrant's fury : he wrought innumerable
" signs and wonders ;" but they w^ere all signs of mercy, and won-
ders of love. Those of terror and vengeance were reserved for a
future advent, foreshowed in the destruction of Jerusalem.
28. He sent darkness, and made it dark: and they rebelled not against
the word : or, and did they not still rebel against his word? 29. He turned
their waters into blood, and slew their fish. 30. Their land brought forth
frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings. 31. He spake, and there
came divers sorts of jiies, Heb. a mixture came, and lice in all their coasts.
32. He gave them^ailfor rain, and faming fire in their land. 33. He smot6
their vines also, and fig-trees ; and brake the trees of their coasts. 34, He
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 3S1
spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without number.
35. And did eat up all the herbs in their land; and devoured the fruit of
their ground. 36. He smote also the first-born in their land, the chief of all
their strength.
Who can behold this army of divine judgments thus passing in
dreadful array before him, without trembhng very exceedingly at
that power which is able to send them, singly, or in conjunction, up-
on a sinful land? Who can reflect upon their number and variety,
without adoring that goodness, patience, and long suffering, which
tried so many different methods, and wanted so long, to lead the
offenders to repentance ? For more particulars see the comment on
Psalm Ixxviii. 43 — ^51.
37. He brought them, i. e. the people of Israel, forth also with .silver and
gold : and tliere was not one feeble persor» among their tribes. 38. Egypt
was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
The Israehtes not only came forth from Egypt, but came forth
laden with the spoils of their enemies, which they were commanded
to take, by him who is the absolute Lord of all property, and who,
as a righteous judge, did thus award to his people the wages due to
their incredible labours, the Egyptians being now willing and ready
to furnish them with any thing required, in order to dismiss them.
" The Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might
send them out of the land in haste : for they said. We be all dead
men." Exod. xii. 33. And what was very extraordinary, among
such a number of men, w^omen, children, and cattle, nothing was
weak and " feeble," nothinfj unable to perform the journey. 'I he
order was, that " not a hoof should be left behind ;'' Exod. x. 26 ;
and he who commanded gave strength to obey. Thou hast also en-
joined us, thy servants, O Lord, to quit Egypt, and march for Ca-
naan ! let thy grace invigorate us, from time to time, that so we
faint not by the way.
39. He spread a cloud for a covering ; and fire to give light in the night.
40. The people asked, and he brought quails; and .'satisfied them with the
bread of heaven. 41. He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out: they
ran in the dry places like a river.
" Brethren, I w^ould not that ye should be ignorant how that all
our fathers were under the cloud ; and were all baptized unto Moses
in the cloud ; and did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did all
drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them ; and that Rock was Christ." 1 Cor. x. 1 — 4.
Li our passage through this wilderness of life, over barren sands,
and amidst fiery serpents, be thou, blessed Lord, our guide and our
guard ; protected by thy providence, supported by thy word, and re-
freshed by thy Spirit, lead us even where, and in w^hat manner it
shall seem good to thee ; only do not thou forsake us, and we ask
no more.
42. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
43. And he brought forth his people with joy and his chosen with gladness.
The same God hath since "remembered again his promise to
382 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Abraham ;" he hath visited his people, and redeemed them from the
bondage of sin, under the tyranny of Satan ; which redemption
they daily celebrate in the church, with "joy and gladness," waiting
for their final deliverance from death and the grave, when they are
to sing in heaven " the song of Moses and of the Lamb." Rev. xv. 3.
44. And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour
of the people ; 45. That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.
Praise ye the Lord.
It was not, therefore, intended that the Israelites should regard
Canaan as their paradise, and look no further ; but that, being
rescued from their enemies, and settled in peace and plenty, they
should improve the opportunity thereby afforded them, of serving
the Lord their God, and of securing to themselves, through the obe-
dience of faith, an inheritance in " a better country, that is to say,
an heavenly." And let all the children of faithful Abraham, whose
lot hath fallen in "a land flowing with milk and honey" upon
earth, reflect, that God hath given them riches, and the leisure
which riches procure, not for the purpose of indulging and corrupt-
ing themselves and others, but that they may glorify him, benefit
their neighbours, and save their own souls ; " that they may observe
his statutes, and keep his laws." Israel was dehvered by Moses,
and the church redeemed by Christ, that God might "purify to him-
self a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Tit. ii. 14.
TWENTY-FIRST DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CVI.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist here again commemorates the divine benefits, upbraid-
ing withal the ingratitude of those who received them. 1, 2. He exhorteth men to
the praise of Jehovah ; 3 — 5. proclaimeth the blessedness, and longeth for the
felicity of the saints ; 6. confesseth the sins of Israel, and giveth a detail of their
rebellions ; 7—12. at the Red Sea ; 13—15. when they lusted for flesh in the wil-
derness ; 16—18. in the matter of Kora ; 19—23. in that of the golden calf; 24—27.
at the report of the spies ; 28 — 31. in the affair of Baal-peor ; 32, 33. at the waters
of Meribah ; 34 — 39. in not destroying idolatry, but being seduced by it ; 40 — 46. God's
frequent judgments, and as frequent mercies, are related ; 47. a praj'er is made, that
Jehovah would gather Israel from among the heathen, which shows the Psalm to
have been written during some captivity or dispersion. The last verse contains au
act of blessing and praise.
1. O give thanks unto tJie hord, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for
ever.
In the person of a penitent nation, the prophet invites mankind
to "give thanks unto Jehovah," for that "goodness" which pre-
venteth us with blessings, and for that '^ mercy" which forgiveth our
transgressions; that mercy which was shown to our forefathers upon
their repentance, and will "ever" be shown, upon the same condition,
to us and our posterity ; that mercy which will bring sin and misery
to an end, itself continuing eternal and unchangeable.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 383
2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord ? who can show forth all his
praise ?
But who is sufficient for a work that demandeth the tongues and
harps of angels ? " When you glorify the Lord," saith (he son of
Sirach, " exalt him as much as you can ; for even yet will he far
exceed ; and when you exalt him, put forth all your streno^th, and
he not weary, for you can never go far enough." Ecclus. xliii. 30.
3. Blessed are they that keep judgment ; and he that doeth righteousness at
ull times.
Next to angels, they are blessed and qualified to praise God with
the voice, who glorify him in their lives ; who having experienced
in themselves the " mighty acts" of mercy, pardoning the guilt, and
breaking the power of sin, are become the servants of Jesus, and
render to their Saviour, " at all times," in adversity no less than in
prosperity, the due tribute of unfeigned love and obedience.
4. JRemember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearesT unto tn,y peo-
ple : O visit me with thy salvation. 5. That I may see the good of thy chosen :
that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation ; that I may glory with thine
inheritance.
The Psalmist offereth a prayer for himself, or rather for the church
of Israel, that she, with himself, might partake of such blessedness.
The words might have a reference to a temporal restoration and
felicity ; but they certainly extend much further, and form the most
spiritual and heavenly petition that the devoutest Christian can pre-
fer to the throne of grace. "Remember me, O Lord, with the favour"
which thou hast always shown to " thy people," in whom thou hast
delighted from the foundation of the world, and on whom it is thy
good pleasure to confer a glorious kingdom. " O visit me with thy
salvation," with which so many patriarchs, prophets, and kings
have desired to be visited, the salvation of thy Christ, the justifier of
all them that believe, and the rewarder of his saints : " that I may
see the good of thy chosen," their felicity in beholding thy counte-
nance, and living for ever in thy presence ; " that I may rejoice in
the gladness of thy nation," the unspeakable gladness of those who
enter into the joy of their Lord ; " and glory with thine inheritance,"
singing hallelujahs before thine everlasting throne, in the Jerusalem
which is above. The Israelitish church, when in peace and tran-
quillity serving her God, and chanting the songs of Sion, afforded a
very lively representation of this eternal felicity.
6. We have sinned with our fathers : we have committed iniquity ; we have
done wickedly.
They who have joined with the prophet in his affectionate aspira-
tion after the divine favour, may here learn the surest way to attain
it ; namely, by confessing their own sins, and those of their ancestors.
" We have sinned with our fathers," that is, after their example of
unbeHef and disobedience, of which an account immediately follow-
eth. The fathers' sins are often reflected in their children ; and each
384 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
new reflection, instead of being weaker, is stronger than the forego-
ing ; as in the case of the Jews.
7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt : they remembered
not the multitude of thy mercies j but provoked him at the sea, even at the
Bed Sea.
The Israelites did not profit, as th*'}' should have done, by the
miracles wrought for them in Egypt; they increased not in the wis-
dom and knowledge of God their Saviour ; but when thew saw
themselves pursued by Pharaoh, their faith failed, they murmured
against Moses, and wished themselves again in the bondage from
which they were just delivered : Exod. xiv. iO,(fcc. Thus, when the
penitent findeth himself beset with difficulties and dangers ; when
he seeth before him that death imto sin, through which he must pass
to a life of righteousness, while the devil and the w^orld follow hard
after him, to destroy or bring him back to a more cruel bondage, how
apt is he to forget all that Christ hath done for him ! Fear puts out
the light of faith, and hides the prospect of the promised land ; ima-
gination recalls the former gratifications of sense ; he is tempted to
regret the desertion of Egypt, and to wish for a return to it again.
8. Nevhertheless, he saved them for his name's sake ; that he might make
his mighty power to be known. 9. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was
dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed
them from the hand of the enemy. 11. And the waters covered their enemies:
there was not one of them hft. 12. Then believed they his words ; they sang
his praise.
Comforted and encouraged by Moses, the armies of Israel ad-
vanced to the shore ; and, lo, the waves, at the lifting up of the
powerful rod, instantly parted, and, like so many well-disciplined
troops, arranging themselves in two columns, disclosed a ncAV and
strange path, by which the people of God were conducted, in per-
fect security, to the opposite shore ; when the waters, falling d(^wn,
and reassuming their ancient habitation, overwhelmed the infidel
host, and left not a man to carry the news to Egypt. Through all
the difficulties and dangers of the Christian course, faith will ever
find a way opened, by the power of Jesus, from sin to righteousness,
and from death to life : the enemies of our salvation, how formidable
soever, shall disappear, and be no more ; and we shall sing, hke
Israel, a song of triumph to the Lord our God.
13. Thpy soon forgat his works, Heb. They made haste, they forgat his
works; they waited not for his counsel. 14. But lusted exceedingly in the
wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15. And he gave them their re-
quest ; but sent leanness into their souls.
Soon after the Israelites had experienced the power and goodness
of Jehovah at the Red Sea, we find them murmuring against him,
Exod. XV. 24. They grew impatierjt, they looked upon themselves
as forgotten, and given over to destruction. They loathed manna,
and required flesh: flesh was sent them, on which they surfeited
themselves ; the wrath of God smote them, and many were carried
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 385
•off by a grievous plague ; Numb. xi. 4, 33. Let us learn to wait
Ood's time and counsel, for tlie supply of necessaries, much more
of conveniences ; remembering that he hath given us his Son, and
therefore will not deny us such inferior corporeal blessings as he
foreseeth will really prove blessings to us. Let us be duly thankful
for that " bread which cometh down from heaven," cautious how
we request the good things of this world, and strictly temperate in
the use of them when given.
16. They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord.
17. The earth opened^ and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company
of Ahiram. IS. And a fire was kindled in their company ; the flame burnt
up the wicked.
Moses and x\aron were the divinely appointed governors of Israel,
in church and state. Envy and ambition led Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram to accuse the former of tyranny, and the latter of priestcraft.
Jehovah w^as appealed to, a day appointed, and a decision made.
One body of the malcontents went down ahve into the pit, another
was consumed by fire from heaven : Numb. xvi. Let schismatics
and rebels beware of that '• pit" which is bottomless, and of that
^' fire" which shall never be quenched.
19. TViey made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image,
20. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth
grass. 21. 7%ey for gat God their Saviour, which had done great things in
Egypt : 22. Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the
Bed Sea.
While the terrible presence of God abode upon Mount Sinai, and
Moses was gone up thither to receive the law, even then, and there,
^' at Horeb," the people apostatized to the old favourite sin of idol-
atry, and persuaded Aaron to make them a " calf," or " ox," before
which they prostrated themselves, acknowledging it, or the power
represented by it, whatever that was, to have been the author of
their deliverance from Egypt, Exod. xxxii. : " for as to Moses, they
knew not what was become of him," nor ever expected to see him
any more. Thus they exchanged their " glory," the glory which
had accompanied them in the mystic cloud, nay, Avhich was then
present before their eyes on the top of the Mount, "for an image
made like to a four-footed beast," as it is said of the heathen in their
worst estate, Rom. i. 23 ; and thus they forgat Jehovah, who had
wrought his works and wonders for them in Egypt and at the Red
Sea. It is to be hoped, w^e shall never live to see a time when the
miracles of our redemption shall be forgotten ; when the return of
Jesus Christ from heaven shall be despaired of; and when the peo-
ple shall solicit their teachers to fabricate a new philosophical deity
for them to worship, instead of the God of their ancestors, to whom
glory hath been ascribed from generation to generation.
23. Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his
chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, leM he should
destroy them.
When we hear Jehovah saying to Moses, on account of his peo-
49
386 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
pie's monstrous ingratitude and atrocious wickedness, " Let me-
alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may
consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation ;" when we
hear Moses, notwithstanding this, interceding for his countrymen,
with the offended Majesty of heaven ; urging to God the giory of his
name, the relation in which he stood to Israel, the covenant lie had
made Vt'ith their fathers; and if they must be cast off, desiring him-
self to perish with them : " If thou wilt, forgive their sin ; and if not,
blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written ;"
how we are astonished at an instance of such invincible fortitude,
fervent piety, unadulterated patriotism, triuniphant faith, and un-
bounded charity ! Once, and but once, was this instance exceeded,
by Him in whose name the intercession of Moses was made and ac-
cepted; who really taking upon himself the sins of his people, suf-
fered the vengeance due to them ; and who is now at the right
hand of God interceding for us all. See Exod. xxxii. 10 — 14,
and 32.
24. Yea, they despised the pleasant land; they believed not his word ;
25. But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the
Lord. 26. Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them
in the wilderness : 27. To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and
to scatter them in the lands.
The history here alluded to is contained in Numb. xiii. and xiv.
The spies brought back a favourable account of the promised land/
and its productions, but communicated to the people those terrible
apprehensions, with which themselves were possessed, concerning
the power of the Anakims, and other inhabitants of Canaan. In-
fidelity presently discovered itself by its usual fruit, disobedience.
They thought they should never be able to surmount all these diffi-
culties, but should become a prey, with their wives and children, to
the sword ; and a return to Egypt was once more the cry of the
camp of Israel. Therefore did Jehovah " lift up his hand against
them ;" he declared that none of the generation then in being, Joshua
and Caleb only excepted, should enter into his rest, but that tliey
should fall in the wilderness, without setting foot in that pleasant
and most desirable land. Discomfiture and dispersion were also
threatened to their posterity, that is, if they should go on in the same
spirit of rebellion, and fill up the measure of their .fathers' iniquities;
which they have since done, and are accordingly "overthrown
among the nations, and scattered among the lands" to this day.
But do not thou suffer us, O Lord, to despise that "pleasant land,'^
which thou designest to be the inheritance of thy saints : w batcver
obstructions may be thrown in our way, suffer us not, through sloth
and cowardice, to "disbelieve thy word," to doubt the accomplish-
ment of thy promises, or to " murmur" against thy dispensatioiis.
28. They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of
the dead. 29. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions ; and
the plague brake in upon them. 30. Then stood up Phinehas and executed
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 387
judgment ; and so tke plague was stayed. 31. And that was counted unto
him for righteousness, unto all generations for evermore.
By Balaam's advice^ Numb. xxxi. 16, the Moabites and Midianites
sent their daughters among the people of Israel, who soon yielded to
the temptation, and fornication ended in idolatry ; nay, perhaps it
might be a part of the Moabitish ritual ; as we know it was among
the religious services paid by the latter heathens to some of their
deities. By the " sacrifices of the dead," may be meant sacrifices
which were offered either to dead idols, or to men deified after death.
To punish this apostacy, the wrath of Jehovah went forth, and
twenty-four thousand perished by the plague, which at length ceased,
when Phinehas had " executed judgment" upon Zimri and Cosbi,
who seemed, indeed, to call aloud for it, by indulging their lawless
passions in the midst of so grievous a calamity, at a time when the
whole congregation were humbhng themselves before God at the
door of the tabernacle. " Wherefore," saith God, " behold I give
unto him my covenant of peace ; and he shall have it, and his seed
after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because
he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children
of Israel." Numb. xxv. 12. It is most probable, as Dr. Hammond
observes, that Phinehas, being the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron,
was one of the judges of Israel ; and if so, he had a clear commission
for what he did, from Moses, who had " said to the judges of Israel,
Slay ye every one his man, that were joined to Baal-peor." Numb,
xxv. 5. The case of Phinehas, therefore, is no precedent for uncom-
missioned zealots. In general we learn from this part of the sacred
history, how acceptable to God is a well-timed zeal for his service ;
as also, how dangerous it is to converse too freely with those of the
other sex, especially when they have been educated in a false reli-
gion, or in no rehgion at all.
32. They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with
Moses for their sakes : 33. Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake
unadvisedly with his lips.
This instance of disobedience was, in point of time, prior to that
mentioned in the preceding verses. It is related. Numb. xx. 2 — 13.
The spirit of Moses, though he was the meekest man upon earth,
was so exasperated and euibittered by continual murmurings and
rebellions, that he is charged with " not having believed God, to
sanctify him in the eyes of the children of Israel ;" and he was, on
that account, denied the honour of bringing them into the land of
promise. He had been commanded to smite the rock, that water
might come forth. In anger he smote it twice, thus upbraiding the
people : " Hear now, ye rebels ; must we fetch you water out of this
rock?" He showed not that affiance in God, that disposition to
glorify him before his people, which became him in the execution
of his office. "The wrath of man" found admission, and that
" worketh not the righteousness of God." Thou, blessed Jesus, art
the only perfect pattern of patience and love ; O grant to all, but
388 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
above all, to the pastors of thy flock, a " spirit" not easy to be " pro-
voked," and lips not hasty to " speak unadvisedly."
34. They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord com^
manded them : 35. But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their
works. 36. And they served their idols ; which were a snare unto them.
When the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, it pleased God to
extirpate the race, and Israel was commissioned to execute upon
them the vengeance determined. But the conquerors suffered them-
selves frequently to be seduced into all the abominations of the con-
quered, and spared their idolatrous altars, till themselves came to
bow down before them. Judg. ii. 2, 3. The Canaanites, against
whom we Christians militate, are our lusts, which, if they are spared
and treated with, will prove " a snare" to us, and in time become
our masters. Mercy shown to them is cruelty to ourselves, and will
always be found so in the end.
37. Yea, they sacrijiced their sons and their daughters unto devils : 38. And
shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom
they sacrijiced unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with
blood.
It is plain that the " devils," mentioned in the former of these two
verses, are " the idols of Canaan," mentioned in the latter. The
word translated " devils," is d^ttd, literally, " the pourers forth ;" by
which it is highly probable, that the idolaters meant the great agents
of nature, or the heavens, considered as giving rain, causing the
earth to send out springs, and to put forth her increase ; vegetables
to yield and nourish their fruit, and animals to abound with milk,
for the subsistence of their young.* Idolatry being a work of the
devil, it is true, in fact, that what is offered to an idol, is offered to
the devil ; though the word d-'ttd doth by no means imply it. We
stand astonished, doubtless, at this horrid, barbarous, and unnatural
impiety of offering children by fire to a Moloch : but how little is it
considered, that children brought up in the ways of ignorance, error,
vanity, folly, and vice, are more effectually sacrificed to the great
adversary of mankind.
39. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with
their own inventions. 40. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled
against his people; insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. 41. And
he gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they that hated them rided
over them- 42. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought
into subjection under their hand. 43. Many times did he deliver them, but
they provoked him with their counsel and. were brought low for their iniquity.
44. Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction, xchen he heard their cry. 45. And
he remembered for them his covenant, and repented, according to the midtitude
of his mercies. 46. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried
them captives.
This is an epitome of the history of the Israelites, from the time
when they took possession of Canaan, downwards. Transgressions
learned and ingeaious Mr. Parkhurst, in
* See the account given of the word by the
his excellent Hebrew- English Lexicon.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 389
brought on chastisements ; chastisements produced repentance ; and
repentance obtained mercy. For their last and grand rebelHon
against the Son of God, and their King Messiah, whom they mur-
dered, the sore burden of heaven's displeasure hath now rested upon
the nation these seventeen hundred years ; but their eyes are not yet
opened ; their hearts have not, hitherto, relented. How hath the
" wrath of Jehovaii been kindled against his people, insomuch that
he hath abhorred his own inheritance !" How hath he " given them
into the hand of the heathen, and caused them that hated them
to rule over them !" How have " their enemies oppressed them ;"
how have they been brought into subjection under their "hand!
Nevertheless, O Lord, regard their affliction, when thou hearest their
cry ;" grant them repentance first, and then pardon ; '•' remember
for them thy covenant ;" let them change their mind, and do thou
" change thy purpose, according to the multitude of thy mercies ;
make them also to be pitied of all those that have carried them cap-
tives ;" cause them, upon their conversion, to find favour in the eyes
of the nations ; and do thou, who hast so long been " a hght to
lighten the Gentiles," become once more " the glory of thy people
Israel."
47. Save us, O Lord our God. and gather us from am,ong the heathen^ to
give thariks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
It appears from this verse, that the Psalm was written at a time
when Israel was in captivity " among the heathen." Such will be
the petition of the Jews hereafter to him whom they crucified ; and
such is now the petition of the Christian church, that the elect may
be finally gathered together, and united in one congregation, " to
give thanks unto the name, and triumph for ever in the praises of
Jesus."
48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and
let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.
At all times, in all places, and by all persons, on earth and in
heaven, in prosperity and adversity, peace or persecution, " The
Lord God of Israel," the Saviour and Redeemer of his church, is to
be "blessed ;" nor can any situation exempt a believer from saying,
"Amen, Hallelujah," that is, from blessing God himself, and exci-
ting others to do the same.
TWENTY-SECOND DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM cvn.
ARGUMENT. — The redeemed of the Lord are exhorted in this Psalm, 1 — 3. to praise
him for his goodness in redeeming, and gathering them from the four quarters of the
world. Their danger and their deliverance are represented under the four striking
images, 4 — 9. of travellers lost in a wilderness, but directed and cojiducted home ;
10 — 16. of prisoners rescued from captivity ; 17 — 22. of sick and dying men restored
390 A" COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
to health ; 23 — 32. of mariners preserved in a storm at sea, and brought safe into
port. 33 — 41. Some other instances of God's providence in the government of the
world, and of the church, are adduced and insisted on, for, 42. the consolation of tho
righteous, and 43. the instruction of all.
1. O give thanks unto the Lord, /or he is good, for his mercy endureth for
ever. 2. Let the redeemed of the Lord saij so. whom he hath redeemed, from
the hand of the enemy. 3. And gathered them out of the lands, from the east,
and from the west, from the riorth and from the south.
Eternal mercy is the theme here proposed ; and they Avho have
tasted its sweets are invited to join in setting forth its praises. The
members of the Christian church are now, in the most proper and
empliatical sense of the words, " the redeemed of Jehovah, whom he
hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered them,"
by the gospel, out of all lands, and from all the four quarters of the
world, to form a church, and to supply the place of the apostate
Jews ; whose forefathers experienced, in type and shadow, the good
things prepared for them and for us, in truth and substance.
" Many," saith our Lord to the Jews, " shall come from the east
and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and
shall sit down in the kingdom of God ; and ye yourselves shall be
thrust out." Matt. viii. 11 ; Luke, xiii. 29. We, converted Gen-
tiles, are the happy people ; and we are taught iA tliis Psalm to cele-
brate that mercy which made us so.
4. TViey wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, they found no city
to dwell in. 5. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 6. Then
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their
distresses. 7. And he led them forth by the ri-ght way, that tliey might go to
a city of habitation.
The spiritual blessings of redemption are represented by the Psal-
mist under four exquisitely beautiful and expressive images ; which
images are themselves four especial acts of God's providential care
and love, shown toward the bodies of men in the w^orld ; correspond-
ing with as many works of grace wrought on the souls of believers
in the church. The first of these pictures exhibiteth to our view a
set of travellers lost in a pathless desert, and well nigh famished
through want of necessary provisions. They make their distresses
known by prayer to Jehovah, and lo, he appears, as their guard and
their guide ; he supplies all their necessities upon the journey, and
conducts them in safety to their place of abode. Thus he dwelt
with Israel of old, in their passage, through the waste and howling
wilderness, from Egypt to Canaan. And thus he is ready to deal
with us all. "The world," saith Lord BoHngbroke,* "is a great
wilderness, wherein mankind have wandered about from tlie crea-
tion.— We are not only passengers, or sojourners, but absolute
strangers at the first steps we make in it." We are so, indeed ; and
too often, through our own fault, continue such to the last ; we find
not the way which leads to heaven, nor, if we did find it, have we
strength to travel in it, without the viaticum which cometh from
* Reflections on History, vol. i. p. 244, and 171.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 391
thence, and which alone can bring us thither. Fervent and impor-
tunate pra}'er to the God of our salvation will procure, from above,
knowledge to dispel our ignorance, and grace to help our infirmi-
ties ; the former will discover to us our road, the latter will enable
us to walk in it, and both together will carry us, in due time, to
the " city of our eternal habitation."
8. O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonder^
fid iDorks to the children of men ! 9. For he satisfieth the longing, or, thirsty ^
soul, andflleth the hungr-y soul icith goodness.
The former of these two verses is a chorus, repeated after the cele-
bration of each of the four mercies here related. Literally it is,
" Let them acknowledge to Jehovah his mercy, and his wonders for
the children of Adam." And what can better deserve our acknowl-
edgment, than the provision made for the bodies and souls of Chris-
tian travellers, in their way to that heavenly country and city,
" where they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat ; for the Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
living fountains of waters : and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes." Rev. vii. 16.
10. Such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being bound in
affiictio7i and iron : 11. Because they rebelled against the words of God, and
contemned the counsel of the Most High : 12. Therefore he brought down
their heart with labour ; they fell down, and there was 7ione to help. 13. Then
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their dis-
tresses. 14. He brought them out of darkness, and, the shadow of death, and
brake their bands in sunder. 15. O that men would praise the Lord for his
goodness, and lor his wonderful works to the children of men ! 16. For he
hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
In this second piece of divine scenery, we behold a people groan-
ing under all the miseries of captivity, deprived of light and liberty,
chained down in horrid duno^eons, and there expecting the day of
execution. These calamities they are represented as having brought
upon themselves by their rebeUion against God, who takes this meth-
od of humbling them. It succeeds, and brings them upon their
knees to Him who alone is able to deliver them. Moved by their
cries, he exerts his power on their behalf, and frees them from the
house of bondage. To a state of corporeal servitude the Israelites,
for their transgressions, were frequently reduced, and many times
experienced, upon their repentance, the goodness of Jehovah in rescu-
ing them from it. But the grand and universal captivity is that of
sin and death ; the grand and universal deUverance, for which all
the redeemed of the Lord ought to praise his mercy, is that by Jesus
Christ. Adam and all his posterity "rebelled against the words of
God, and contemned the counsel of the Most High." By so doing,
they subjected themselves to a slavery the heaviest and bitterest of
all others. The devil led them captive at his will, and set over
them their own insatiable lusts and passions, as so many task-
i masters, to afflict, and keep them under. By these the soul is con-
392 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
fined so close in prison, and bound with so many chains, that it can-
not get forth to do the will of God, even when that is made known
to it. Of mankind in this state how truly may it be said, and how
often in Scripture is it said, under these and the like figures, " They
sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being fast bound in
misery, and bands stronger than iron. — He also brought down their-
heart through heaviness, they fell down, and there was none to
help !" A sense of this his woful condition forces the sinner to " cry
unto the Lord Jesus in his trouble," and to say, "O wretched man.
that 1 am, who shall deliver me from this body of death !" " Bring my
soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy name." And now
his prayer is heard, the grace of Christ cometh lo his assistance, and
he is made " free indeed." His chains, like those of St. Peter, fall off
at the word of his deliverer ; he is " saved out of his distress ;" he is
brought " out of darkness and the shadow of death," into the glori-
ous light and liberty of the sons of God. The joy consequent upon
such a deliverance will be exceeded only by that which shall take
place in the hearts, and be expressed by the voices of the redeemed, on
the day when Christ shall accomphsh the redemption of their bodies
also, as he hath already effected that of his own, from the power of
the grave ; when he shall dash in pieces the brazen gates and ada-
mantine bars of that prison-house, put an end for ever to the bond-
age of corruption, and lead captivity captive in the highest heavens.
17. Fools, because of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities,
are afflicted. IS. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat, and they draw
near unto the gates of death. 19. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20. He sent his svord and healed
them, and delivered them from^ their destruction. 21. O that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his toonderful works to the children
of men! 22. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare
his works with rejoicing.
The recovery of men from sickness affords a third image of the
benefits conferred on our nature, by the Redeemer. Sickness, as we
are here informed, is the punishment of human folly and iniquity.
When it is extreme, it deprives man of all relish and appetite for his
food ; nay, it makes him loathe and detest the very sight and smell
of that which should nourish and support him ; in which case, he
must waste away, and soon "draw near to the gates of death." But
from those dreadful gates the power of God can snatch us when we
are just about to enter them. To an infirm and emaciated body
he can restore health, strength, and beauty ; for diseases are his
ministers and messengers; they visit us at his command, and at his
command they retire, and we recover again. The Israelites in the
wilderness, " because of their transgressions, and because of their
iniquities, were often atflicted" with a plague. But when they re-
pented, and atonement was made, the plague ceased. They were
stung by fiery serpents; but when they "cried unto Jehovah, he
sent his word, and healed them." " They were troubled," as the
author of the book of Wisdom observes, " for a small season, that
they might be admonished, having a sign of salvation to put themr-'
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 393
in remembrance of the commandment of thy law. For he that
turned himself towards it, was not saved by the thing that he saw,
but by thee who art the Saviour of all." Wisdom, xvi. 6, 7. Sen-
tence of death was passed upon Hezekiah ; he already saw himself
at " the gates of the grave," and expected no more to " behold man
with the inhabitants of the world." Yet his prayer prevailed for a
respite, and fifteen years were added to his hfe, Isa, xxxviii. Now
the mind, by reason of sin, is not less subject to infirmities than the
body. These infirmities reduce a man to a state of languor and
listlessness ; he finds himself incapable of action, indisposed for the
reception of divine truths, without taste for knowledge, or inclination
for virtue ; he even nauseates the book of God, and the bread of
heaven ; and the life of faith is in great danger. But the case is
not desperate, while there is breath enough left to call in, by prayer,
the great Physician of spirits. The most inveterate malady gives
place to his efficacious medicines ; appetite revives, health returns,
and the believer is reinstated in the vigour and beauty of holiness.
Let all who have been thus " healed, and saved from destruction,"
either of body or soul, " acknowledge to Jehovah his mercy, and his
wonders wrought for the children of Adam : let them sacrifice the
sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing."
23. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters.
24. These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the d^ep. 25. For
he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth^up the waves there-
of. 26. They mount up to heaven, they go down again to the deplJis, their
sold is melted because of trouble. 27. They reel to and fro, and stagger like
a drunken man, and are at their wifs end ; Heb. all their wisdom, or skill, is
swallowed up. 28. 71ien they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he
bringeth them oid of their distresses. 29. He makelh the storm a calm, so that
the waves thereof are still. 30. Then are they glad because they be quiet ; so
he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31. O that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32. Let t/iem exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him
in the assembly of the elders.
The fourth similitude chosen to portray the dangers of our pres-
ent state, and the goodness of God displayed in our salvation, is
taken from that signal instance of the divine power and providence,
the preservation of mariners in a storm at sea. The description
which the Psalmist hath given us of such an event admitteth of no
comment. Experience alone can illustrate its beauty, evince its
truth, and point out the propriety of the circumstances w^hich are se-
lected to furnish us with a full and complete idea of the whole.
Few of us, indeed, are ever likely to be in that terrible situation.
But then we cannot help reflecting, that there is a ship- in which we
are all embarked ; there is a troubled sea on which we all sail ; there
are storms by which we are all frequently overtaken ; and there is a
haven which we all desire to behold and to enter. For the church
is a ship ; the world is a sea ; temptations, persecutions, and afi^ic-
tions are the waves of it ; the prince of the power of the air is the
stormy wind which raises them ; and heaven is the only port of rest
and security. Often during the voyage, for our punishment or our
50
394 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
trial, God permitteth us to be thus assaulted. The succession and
the violence of our trouble, the elevations and depressions of mind
and fortune, the uncertainty of our counsels, and our utter inability
to help ourselves, are finely represented by the multitude and impet-
uosity of the waves, the tossings and agitations of the vessel, the
confusion, terror, and distress among the sailors. In both cases
prayer is the proper effect, and the only remedy left. With the ear-
nestness of affrighted mariners, who will then be devout, though
they never were so before, we should " cry unto the l^ord Jesus in
our trouble ;" we should, as it were, " awake" him, hke the disciples,
with repetitions of " Lord save us, we perish !" Then will he
arise, and rebuke the authors of our tribulation, saying unto them,
" Peace, be still ;" and they shall hear and obey his voice. '' He
will make the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof shall be still ;"
and at length he will " bring us," in peace, joy^ and gladness, to
" our desired haven," there to " exalt him in the congregation" of
his chosen, and " praise him in the" great " assembly" of saints and
angels. This is the consummation so devoutly wished and requested
by the church for all her children, at the time of their baptism, that
they, " being dehvered from God's wrath, may be received into the
ark of Christ's church ; and, being steadfast in faith, joyful through
hope, and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this trouble-
some world, that finally they may come to the land o^ everlasting
hfe." Thus we see there is no spiritual evil, out of which God is
not both able and willing to deliver us, when we call upon him.
Are we ignorant of the way to the heavenly city ? He will guide
and conduct us thither. Are we bound with the chains of sin and
death ? He will loose and deliver us. Are our minds diseased and
languid ? He will heal and invigorate them. Are we in danger of
being overwhelmed by the troubles of the world ? He will preserve
us in the midst of them, until he bid them cease. Of his power
and inclination to do these things for our souls, he hath given assu-
rance to all men, by those pledges of his love, the benefits and bless-
ings conferred on the bodies of his people, in leading them through
the wilderness to Canaan ; in rescuing them so often from the miser-
ies of captivity ; in healing their diseases ; and in saving those of
them who "did business in great waters," from the perils of the sea.
Certainly the mind of man cannot have a nobler subject for medita-
tion in this world, than the wonders of providence, considered as rep-
resenting the mercies of redemption.
33. He turneth Hvers into a wilderness, and the water spnngs into dry
ground. 34. A fruitful land, into barrenness, for the tcickcdness of them thai
dwell therein, 35. He turneth the wilderness into a standing icater, and dry
ground into water springs ; 36. And there he niaketh the hungry to dwell,
that they may prepare a city for habitation; 37. And sow the fields, and
plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. 38. He blessed them
also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffer eth not their cattle to de-
crease.
In this latter part of the Psalm, the prophet further exemphfieth
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 395
the power, the justice, and the goodness of God ; his power, in be-
ing able to change the very nature of things; his justice and his
goodness, in so doing, either to punish the rebelUous, or to reward
the obedient. A well watered and fertile country shall, for the sins
of its inhabitants, be converted into a dry and barren one. The
plain of Jordan, which, before the overthrow of Sodom and Gomor-
rah, was well watered everywheie, " like the garden of Jehovah,"
Gen. xiii. 10, hath, since that overthrow, been a land of salt and
sulphur, and perpetual sterility. Nay, even the once fruitful Pales-
tine itself, that flowed with milk and honey, is at this day a region
<;f such utter desolation, that the very possibility of its ever having
sufficed to maintain the people who formerly possessed it, is now
called in question. And, indeed, while the rain of heaven shall con-
tinue to be in the hand of God, how easy is it for him, by withhold-
ing it during a few months, to blast all the most promising hopes
of man ; and, instead of plenty, joy, and health, to visit him with
famine, pestilence, and death ! On the other hand, when the ways
of a people please him, he can rid them of these dreadful guests ; the
rain shall descend from above, the springs shall rise from beneath,
the earth shall yield her increase, the cattle shall feed in large pas-
tures, the seasons shall be kindly, the air salutary, and the smiling
face of nature shall attest the loving kindness of the Lord. Thus,
in the dispensations of grace, hath he dealt with Jews and Gentiles.
The synagogue of the former, once rich in faith, watered with the
benedictions of heaven, fruitful in prophets and saints, adorned with
the services of religion, and the presence of Jehovah, hath been,
since the murder of the Son of God, cursed with infidelity, parched
Hke the withered tops of the mountains of Gilboah, barren and deso-
late as the land of their ancient residence, whose naked rocks seem
to declare to all the world the hard-heartedness and unprofitableness
of its old possessors. When the " fruitful field" thus became a
^' forest," the " wilderness," at the same time, became a " fruitful
field." A church was planted in the Gentile world, and the " Spirit
was poured out upon it from on high." In that " wilderness did
waters break out, and streams in that desert." There was faith
sown, and holiness was the universal product. " The wilderness
and the solitary place was glad, and the desert rejoiced, and blos-
somed as the rose. It blossomed abundantly, and rejoiced even with
joy and singing ; the glory of Lebanon was given unto it, the
excellency of Carmel and Sharon ;" the privileges and honours of
the synagogue were conferred upon the church ; and the nations
now " saw the glory of Jehovah, and the excellency of God :" Isa.
xxxii. 15 ; xxxv. 1, 2. Spiritual increase, health, and plenty, spir-
itual peace, joy, and happiness, appeared in beauteous and lovely
procession, and the blessing of Jesus was upon this his new inheri-
tance in every way.
39. Again they are winished and brought low, throvgh oppression, afflic-
tion^ and sorrow. 40. He poureth contempt upon princes^ and causeih them
396 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 41. yet setteth he the
poor on high from CLffUction, and maketh him families like a flock.
But let not those who have received the largest share of heaven's
favours therefore boast and presume. The continuance of those
favours dependcth upon the continuance of their fidehty and obedi-
ence. Mighty empires, with their "princes," have, for their wicked-
ness, been " brought low" by the arm of Jehovah, and laid in the
dust, while nations " poor" and feeble, and never thought of, have
" been taken from thence, and exalted over them." What revolutions
have, in like manner, happened, and probably are still to happen, in
the church ! Jerusalem is fallen, through unbelief; and the Gentile
church standeth only by faith, from w^hich if she depart, vengeance
will be executed on her likewise. Yet, even in the worst of times,
there is a promise, that " the poor" in spirit, the faithful and humble
disciples of the holy Jesus, shall be preserved from the evU, and " set
on high from affliction ;" yea, that they shall be multiplied " hke a
flock," under the care of the good Shepherd, to preserve his name,
and to continue a church upon the earth, until he shall return
again,
42. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice ; and all iniquity shall stop her
mouth.
Two consequences will follow from this alternate, display of tne
mercy and the judgment of God. The righteous, finding themselves
still the objects of the former, will have cause to rejoice and give
thanks ; and the wicked, when visited with the latter, will be forced,
by their silence, at least, to own that their punishment is just. This
will certainly be the case at the last day, when the dispensations of
God, and the perfect rule of equity observed in them, shall be mani-
fested to all the world.
43. Whoso is wise and loill observe these things, erew t?iey shall understand
the loving-kindness of the Lord ; or, who is wise ? and he will observe these
things; and they .shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.
A truly "wise" person will treasure up in his heart the contents of
this most instructive and delightful Psalm. By so doing he will
fully " understand" and comprehend the weakness and wretched-
ness of man, and the power and " loving-kindness" of God, who, not
for our meiit, but for his mercy's sake, dispelleth our ignorance,
breaketh off our sins, healeth our infirmities, preserveth us in temp-
tations, placet h us in his church, enricheth us with his grace, shel-
tereth us from persecution, blesseth us in time, and will crown us ia
eternity.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. ' 397
TWENTY-SECOND DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CVIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is composed of parts taken, without any material altera-
tion, from two others. The first five verses occur in Ps. Ivii. 7 — 11 ; the last eight
are found in Ps. Ix. 5 — 12. The reader is therefore referred to the exposition ahready
given of those Psalms.
PSALM CIX.
ARGUMENT.— St. Peter, Acts, i. 20, hath taught us to apply the predictions in this
Psalm to the betrayers and murderers of Messiah, who is, consequently, the person
here speaking, and 1 — 5. complaining of the injuries which he suffered from them ;
after which, 6 — 20. he forewarneth them of all the judgments and sore calamities
that should come upon them and their posterity ; 21 — 25. he returneth to the subject
of his passion ; 26 — 29. repeateth his supplications for himself and his church ; and
30, 31. concludeth with an act of praise. — In this light was the Psalm considered
and interpreted in the ancient church, by Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Theodoret,
and others.
1. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise : i. e. who art the subject of my
praise ; 2. For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are
opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3. l^hey compassed me about also with words of hatred ; and fought against
me without a cause. 4. For my love, they are my adversaries ; but I give
myself unto prayer, 5, And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred
for my love.
The holy Jesus, in these words, maketh suppUcation to the Father
for redress and deliverance. He complaineth of the manner in
which he was treated, when " he came unto his own, and his own
received him not." John i. 11. Sometimes " the mouth of the
wicked was opened upon him,"* roaring against him, like the roar-
ing of lions, while they cried out, " He is a Samaritan and hath a
devil, and is mad ; away with him, away with him ; crucify him,
crucify him." Sometimes, " deceitful and lying tongues" were em-
ployed, either to entangle and entrap him in his talk, or to bear false
witness against him. And all this was done, not only " without a
cause," but men were his bitter and implacable " adversaries," in
return for that " love" which brought him from heaven, to save them
with an everlasting salvation. Let the afflicted and traduced disci-
ple rejoice, in that he is conformed to the image of his Master. And
from the example of that Master let him learn what course to take,
when in such circumstances—^" But I give myself unto prayer."
6. t 7%(m wilt set a wicked man, or, the wicked one, over him, and Satan
* HsBC autem cecinet David spirituali sensu in persond, Christ! a Judeeis impetiti
omnimodis blasphemiis. — Bossuet.
t As most of the foUowiug verbs are in the future tense, and the rest have evidently
:a predictive and future import, the same liberty is here taken, as in Ps. Ixix. of render-
ing them throughout uniformly in that tense ; by which means the curses pronounced
398 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
sJioU stand at his right hand. 7. When he is judged^ he shall be condemned
and his prayer shall become sin.
A transition is here made to the adversaries of Messiah ; primarily
to Judas, " who was guide to them that took Jesus," Acts i. 16 ; sec-
ondarily, to the synagogue, of whom Judas may be considered as
an epitome and representative. It is foretold, that by betraying and
murdering the best of masters, they should subject themselves to the
tyranny of the worst; that they should become slaves to the
" wricked one," who should justly be " set over them," when they had
dehvered themselves into his hands : that " Satan," who had stood
by them to tempt them, should " stand at their right hand" to ac-
cuse them at the tribunal of God ; that when tried, they would be
convicted and " condemned," and even their " prayer" would be
abomination in the sight of the Lord, as being offered without true
contrition and repentance, without faith, hope, or charity. Such is
the wretched state of the Jews, estranged from God, and in bondage
to the devil ; such the prayers which, from hardened and malignant
hearts, they continually utter, for the excision of all Christians, and
for the extirpation of that blessed name on which Christians call.
These prayers, instead of lightening the burden of their sins, cer-
tainly add to its weight. Enable us, O Lord Jesus, to resist Sataa
as a tempter, that he may not be our accuser ; and grant us always
so to pray, that our prayers may be heard.
8. Hui days shall be few ; and another shall take his office.
This is the verse which St. Peter hath cited and applied in his
discourse to the disciples, at the election of Matthias into the place
of Judas. " Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been
fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, spake be-
fore concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took .Tesus. For
he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and
falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels
gushed out. — For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habi-
tation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein ; and his bishopric
let another take." The former of these two citations is made from
Psal. Ixix. 25, the latter is a part of the verse now before us. If
Judas, therefore, be the person whose destruction the sufferer foretell-
eth, the person speaking in this prophetical Psalm must of necessity
be our Lord himself, who suffered by the treachery of Judas. In
Ps. Ixix. 25, the prediction is in the plural number, "Their habita-
tion shall be void;" yet St. Peter applies it, in the singular number,
to Judas. The passage in our Psalm is singular, yet applicable not
to Judas only, but to the whole nation of the Jews ; whose " days,"
after they had crucified the Lord of glory, " were few ;" who were
dispossessed of the place and "office" which they held as the church
in this Psalm will at once appear to be of the same import with those in the twenty-
eighth chapter of Deuteronomy. The reader is entreated, when he shall have perused
the Psalm, to turn to that chapter and judge for himself.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 390
of God, and to which, with all its honours and privileges, the Gen-
tile Christian church succeeded in their stead, when the Aaronical
priesthood was abolished, and that of the true Melchizedek estab-
lished for ever.
9. His children shall be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 10. His children
shall be continually vagabonds, and beg ; they shall seek their bread also out
of their desolate places.
If, by the wretched death of Judas, his wife became a widow, and
his children orphans, vagabonds, and beggars, their fate w^as but a
prelude to that of thousands and ten thousands of the same nation,
whose husbands and fathers came afterwards to a miserable end, at
the destruction of Jerusalem. Their children, and children's chil-
dren, have since been " continually vagabonds" upon the earth, in
the state of Cain, when he had murdered his righteous brother, not
cut otf, but marvellously preserved for punishment and w^oe. Hav-
ing nothing of their own, they roam through all parts of the w^orld,
civilized or barbarous, the scorn and contempt of mankind. And
even if they are able to amass wealth, their unparalleled avarice
still keeps them poor and beggarly in the midst of it. Thus Dr.
Hammond, in his Annotation on these verses :— "By this is described,
in a very lively manner, the condition of the Jewish posterity, ever
since their ancestors fell under that signal vengeance, for the cruci-
fying of Christ. First, their desolations and vastations in their
own country, and being ejected thence ; secondly, their continual
wanderings from place to place, scattered over the face of the earth ;
and, thirdly, their remarkable covetousness, keeping them always
poor and beggarly, be they never so rich, and continually labouring
and moiling for gain, as the poorest are wont to do ; and this is con-
tinually the constant curse attending this people wheresoever they
are scattered."
11. The extortioner, or, creditor, shall catch, or, seize, all that he hath;
and the stranger shall spoil his labour. 12. There shall be none to extend
onercy to him ; neither shall tfiere be any to favour his fatherless children.
Since the destruction of Jerusalem, how often hath this race been
seized, pillaged, stripped, and impoverished, by prince and people,
in all the nations of the known world ; none appearing, as in other
cases, to " favour and extend mercy" to them !* " They have had
no nation, none to avenge their grievous wrong, which the Lord
God of their forefathers had ordained they should suffer, at all times,
and in all places, wheresoever they have come, without redress.
Nay, their general carriage hath been so odious and preposterous,
that, albeit the Christian magistrates had conspired together for their
good, they would themselves have certainly provoked their own
misery." Thus, that excellent divine, t|^ learned and pious Dr.
Jackson, vol. i. p. 142 and 135 ; whose reflections upon the history
* " Thou shall be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. —
The fruit of thy laud, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not, eat
up ; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway." — Deut. xxviii. 29, 33.
400 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
of the Jews, at and since their dispersion, it were to be wished that
every Christian could peruse. For, as he himself observes, '' Chris-
tian parents, whether bodily or spiritual, should be as careful to in-
struct their children what the Lord hath done to these Jews, as the
Israelites should have been to tell their sons what God had done to
Pharaoh." Ibid. p. 452.
13. His posterity shall he cut off, and in ike generation following, their
name shall be blotted out. 14. The iniquity of his fathers shall be remem-
bered with the Lord, and the sin of his mother shall not be blotted out.
15. They shall be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory
of them from the earth.
The traitorous and rebeUious " posterity" of traitorous and rebel-
lious parents, suffered an " excision" by the Roman sword, and " in
the generation following, their name," as a church and civil polity,
was " blotted out" of the list of states and kingdoms upon earth.
" The iniquity of their fathers," which they had filled up, " was re-
membered with Jehovah, and the sin of their mother," that is, per-
haps, of the synagogue of Jerusalem, now in bondage with her chil-
dren, " was not blotted out ; that upon them might come all the
righteous blood shed, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the
blood of Zacharias, whom they slew between the temple and the
altar." Matt, xxiii. 35. The blood of the prophets cried for venge-
ance against those who crucified the Lord of the prophets. God hid
not his face any longer from all these horrible transgressions, but
"they were before him continually," and occasioned him to " cut off
the memory" of his people, once precious and fragrant, " from the
earth ;" so that while apostles and martyrs are annually commemo-
rated with honour, and their good deeds, blossoming out of the dust,
perfume the church, and delight the souls of the faithful, the names
of " Judas" and " Jew" are never mentioned but with contempt and
abhorrence.
16. Because that he remembered not to show mercy ; but persecuted the poor
and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
The crime which brought upon its perpetrators all the above-men-
tioned judgments and calamities, is here pointed out too plainly to
be mistaken. They " remembered not to show mercy" to him who
showed it to all the world ; they " persecuted" him who for our sakes
became " poor," and who condescended to ask of his creatures water
to drink ; they betrayed and murdered the lowly and afflicted Jesus,
whose " heart" was " broken" with sorrow for their sins, and with a
sense of the punishment due to them. How long will it be, ere the
brethren of this most innocent and most injured Joseph, " say one to
another, We are verily guilty concerninof our brother, in that we
saw the anguish of his ^ul, when he besought us, and we would
not hear: therefore is this distress come upon us !" Gen. xlii. 21.
17. As he loved cursing, so shall it come unto him : as he delighted not in
blessing, so shall it be far from him. 18. .4s he clothed himself with cursing,
like as with his garment, so sJmll it come into his bowels like water, and like oil
into his bones. 19. It shall be unto him as the garment which covereth him^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 401
^ and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 20. This shall be the
reward of mine adversaiies from the Lord, and of them that speak evil
against my soul.
They who reject Christ, reject the fountain of " blessing," and
choose a " curse" for their portion ; and this portion, when they have
finally made their choice, will certainly be given to them in full
measure. The curse that lighted on the Jewish nation, is resem-
bled, for its universahty and adhesion, to a "garment," which cover-
eth the whole man, and is " girded" close about his loins ; for its
diffusive and penetrating nature, to "water," which, from the stom-
ach, passeth into the " bowels," and is dispersed through all the ves-
sels of the frame ; and to " oil," which imperceptibly insinuates itself
into the very "bones." When that unhappy multitude assembled
before Pontius Pilate, pronounced the words, " His blood be on us
and on our children," Matt, xxvii. 25, then did they put on the en-
venomed garment, which has stuck to and tormented the nation
ever since ; then did they eagerly swallow" down that deadly draught,
the effects whereof have been the infatuation and misery of 1700
years ! If such, in this world, be the " reward of Messiah's adver-
saries, and of those who spake evil against him," what will hereafter
be the vengeance inflicted on those who " crucify him afresh, and
put him again to an open shame?" Heb. vi. 7. And what w^ill be
the operation of the sentence,- " Go, ye cursed," upon the bodies and
souls of the wicked ? how will it at once affect all the senses of the
former, and all the faculties of the latter, with pain, anguish, hor-
ror, and despair ! Think on these things, ye sinners ; tremble, and
repent !
2\»But do thou for me, O God the Lord, Heb. Jehovah the Lord, for thy
name^s sake : because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. 22.' For /am poor
■and needy, and my heart is wounded within, me. 23. / am gone like a
shadow when it declineth : I am. tossed up and down like a locust. 24. My
knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness. 25. / became
■also a reproach unto them : when they looked upon me they shaked their
heads.
In this last part of the Psalm, Messiah petitioneth for deliverance,
urging to the Father his power as "Lord," the honour of his " name,"
and the greatness of his " mercy." He then pleadeih his own humi-
liation and affliction, his "poverty," and "heart"-felt agony of grief.
Drawing towards the evening of his mortal life, he compareth him-
self to a " shadow, declining," and about to vanish from the earth,
where he had no rest, being persecuted from place to place, as a
"locust" is driven hither and thither by the stormy wind and tem-
pest; while enfeebled and emaciated by frequent "fastings," and
long want of food during his passion, he was ready to sink imder
his burden ; and what aggravated all his sufferings, was, that he
met with no pity and compassion from those around him ; his ene-
mies " reproached " and "reviled him, shaking their heads, and say-
ing. Ah ! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three
days, save thyself," (fee. Mark, xv. 29. Nor are we to suppose our
Lord thus praying for his natural body only, but also for his mysti-
61
402 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
cal body, the church, that from all distresses, persecutions, and in-
sults the members of that body may in time be deUvered, like their
blessed Head, by a joyful 'resurrection to eternal Ufe.
26. Help me, O Lord, my God; O save me, according- to thy mercy..
27. That they may know that this is thy hand ; that thou Lord hast done it.
The resurrection of Christ was to be the great demonstration of
Jehovah's power ; and it was published as such by the apostles to
all the nations of the world, who thereupon believed, and were con-
veitfed. The Jews alone hardened their hearts against that proof,
and continued impenitent.
28. They will curse, hut tho2i shalt bless: when they arise, they shall be
ashamed ; but thy servant shall rejoice. 29. Mine adversaries shall be clothed'
with shame : and they shall cover themselves with their own confusion as with
a mantle.
The apostate sons of Israel, though they have been so long " con-
founded " and blasted by the breath of heaven's displeasure, yet con-
tinue "cursing" and blaspheming, as it is here foretold that they
should do. But God hath " blessed " his Son Jesus, and through
him all nations, who have been adopted into his family, and made
his children by baptism ; yea, and they shall be blessed, and enter,
by thousands and millions, into the "joy" of their Lord, in that day
when his crucifiers shall have no " covering" but their own " shame "
and "confusion."
30. / will greatly praise the Lord with my ynouth : yea, 1 will praise him^
among the multitude. 31. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor^
to save him from t/wse that condemn his soul.
The former of these two verses is parallel to that which St. Paul
citeth from Ps. xxii. 22. "He that sanctifieth, and they who are
sanctified, are all of one : for which cause he is not ashamed to call
them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren ;
in the midst of the church will I sing praises unto thee." Heb. ii. 1 h
Great is the joy of the redeemed upon earth ; greater will it be, after
the resurrection of the dead, in the courts of heaven. Jesus, unjust-
ly put to death, and now risen again, is a perpetual advocate and in-
* tercessor for his people, ever ready to appear on their behalf against
the iniquitous sentence of a corrupt world, and the malice of thc-
grand accuser.
TWENTY-THIRD DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM ex.
ARGUMENT.— In this Psalm David prophesieth concerning, 1. the exaltation of
Christ ; 2. the sceptre of his kingdom ; 3. the character of his subjects ; 4. his ever-
histinor priesthood ; 5, 6. his tremendous victories and judgments ; 7. the means of
his obtaining both kingdom and priesthood, by his sufferings and resurrection. Parts
of this prophecy are cited and applied in the New Testament, by our Lord himselfi.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 403
Matt. xxii. 43 ; by St. Peter, Acts ii. 34; by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 25 ; Heb. v. 6.
The church, likewise, hath appointed it as one of the proper Psalms to be read on
Christmas-day. It appertaineth literally and solely to King Messiah.
1. The Lord said unto my Lord^ Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool.
We are here informed of Jehovah's eternal and unchangeable de-
cree concerning the kingdom of Messiah, its extension, power, and
duration. That Messiah should, after his sufferings, be thus exalted,
was determined in the divine counsel and covenant, before the world
began. Whether we suppose the Psalmist to be speaking of that
determination, or of its actual accomplishment at the time of Christ's
ascension into heaven, it maketh no great difference. The sub-
stance of the decree is the same. It was addressed by the Father to
the Son, by Jehovah to Messiah, whcm David in spiiit stylet h, •^nx,
" my Lord ;" one that should come after him, as his offspring ac-
cording to the flesh ; but one, in dignity of person and greatness of
power, far superior to liim, and to every earthly potentate ; King of
kings, and Lord of lords ; God and man united in one person. To
this person it was said by the Father, "Sit thou at my right hand,
until I make thine enennes thy footstool;" in other words. Seeing, O
my Son Messiah, thou hast glorified me on the earth, and finished
the work which I gave thee to do, the great w^ork of man's redemp-
tion ; take now the throne prepared for thee from the foundation of
the world ; behold, all power is given unto thee ; enter upon thy me-
diatorial kingdom, and reign till every opposer shall have submitted
himself to thee, and sin and death shall have felt thy all conquering
arm.
2. T^e Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion : rule thou in
the midst of thine enemies.
In the foregoing verse David related the words spoken by the
Father to the Son. In this, he himself, as a prophet, directeth his
speech to King Messiah, predicting the glorious consequences of his
enthronization, and the manner in which " his enemies" are to be
made " his footstool." The " rod," or sceptre, of Christ's " strength,"
is his word, accompanied by his Spirit. The law was given to Israel
from Sinai, but the gospel went forth from " Sion ;" it was " preached
to all nati(»ns, beginning at Jerusalem," Luke, xxiv. 47; there began
the spiritual kingdom of Jesus ; there were the first converts made ;
and from thence the faith was propagated by the apostles, to the
ends of the earth. This David seeing beforehand, cries out, " Rule
thou in the midst of thine enemies !" Go on, victorious Prince ;
plant the standard of thy cross among the thickest ranks of the ad-
versary; and, in opposition to both Jew and Gentile tumultuously
raging against thee, erect and establish thy church throughout the
world ! This w-as accordingly done with niarvellous speed and
success ; and the church, thus erected and established among the
nations, hath been as marvellously preserved, " in the midst of her
enemies," unto this day ; yea, and the world shall sooner be de-
stroyed than she shall cease to be preserved.
404 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
3. TTiy people shall be willing in ike day of thy power, in the beauties of
holiness : from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The blessed effects of the gospel, upon its publication, are here
foretold. "The people" of Christ are those given him by his Father,
and gathered to him by the preachers of his word. " The day of
his power" is the season of their conversion, when the corruptions
of nature can no longer hold out against the prevailing influences
of grace ; when the heart, will, and affections turn from the world
to God ; and they make, as the first disciples did, a free and volun-
tary offer of themselves, and all they have, to their Redeemer. Then
it is that they appear '' in the beauties of hohness," adorned with
humility, faith, hope, love, and all the graces of the Spirit. With
regard to the last clause of this verse. Bishop Lowth, in his admired
Lectures,* has observed, and proved, that it may be fairly construed
to this effect : " ' More than the dew from the womb of the morning
is the dew of thy progeny ;' that is, Thy children, begotten to thee,
through the gospel, shall exceed in number, as well as brightness
and beauty, the spangles of early dew, which the morning discloseth
to the delighted eye of the beholder. The whole verse, therefore,
containeth a lively character of the subjects of Christ's spiritual king-
dom, who are described by their relation to him as ' his people ;' by
their ' wilHngness' to obey and serve him; by their honourable attire,
the rich and splendid robes of ' holiness ;' and by their multitudes,
resembHng the drops of ' dew' upon the grass."
4. 7^e Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek.
From Christ's regal office, and the administration thereof by the
sceptre of his word and Spirit, the prophet passeth to his sacerdotal
oflice, which was also conferred on him by the decree of the Father,
and that decree, as we are told, ratified by an oath ; " Jehovah hatli
sworn, and will not repent," or, change his purpose. The oath of
God was the great seal of heaven, designed to intimate the import-
ance of the deed to which it was set, and " to show to the heirs of
promise the immutability of his counsel." Heb. vi. 17. Whether
this oath passed at the actual consecration of Messiah to the priest-
hood upon his ascension, or at his designation thereto by covenant
before the world, sufficient it is for our assurance and comfort, that
it did pass. We have a Priest in heaven, who standeth continually
pleading the merits of His sacrifice once offered upon the cross : " who
ever liveth to make intercession for us ;" and who is ready, at all
times, to bless us, " by turning away every man from his iniquities,"
Acts, iii. 26 ; by aiding us against our enemies, and supporting us
under our necessities. Oblation, intercession, and benediction are
the three branches of the sacerdotal office which our great High
Priest now exerciseth for us, and in the exercise of which the Father
hath condescended in the most awful manner to promise that he
will hear and accept him on our behalf. His priesthood is not, like
* Praelect. x.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 405
that of Aaron, figurative, successive, and transient, but real and
effectual, fixed and incommunicabLe, eternal and unchangeable, ac-
cording to that pattern of it exhibited to Abraham, before the law,
in the person of Melchizedek, Gen. xiv. 18 — 20 j and discoursed upon
at large by the apostle, Heb. vii. throughout.
5. Tfie Lord upon thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of
his wrath. 6. He shall judge among the heathen^ he shall Jill the places with
the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries ; Heb. the
head over much country.
This is a description of the vengeance which King Messiah should
take on his impenitent adversaries. By " The Lord, or, my Lord,
upon thy right hand," n^3?2'' ^v ^d^n, the same person must undoubt-
edly be understood, who is mentioned in the first verse under the
same title, ^^la, as " sitting at the right hand of Jehovah." And the
Psalmist, who has hitherto addressed himself to Messiah, or the Son,
must be supposed now to make a sudden apostrophe to Jehovah, or
the Father ; as if he had said, " This my Lord Messiah, who sitteth
at thy right hand, O Jehovah, shall smite through kings in the day
of his wrath ;" the kings of the earth will endeavour to destroy his
rehgion, and put an end to his kingdom ; theNeroes, the Domitians,
the Dioclesians, the Maxentiuses, the Juhans, &c. (fee. shall stand
up, and set themselves in array against him ; but " the Lamb shall
overcome them;" he shall "judge" and punish the "heathen" princes,
with their people, when in arms against his church ; he shall raise
up those who shall successfully fight his battles, and strew the ground
with their " carcases." As Messiah hath done to the antichristian
powers of old, so shall he do to all others, before or at his second
advent. There is a day of forbearance, during which he will have
his church to be, like himself, oppressed and afflicted, humble and
resigned ; but there is also a future day of wrath and recompense,
when the sins and provocations of her persecutors shall be ripe for
judgment ; when their triumphs and her sufferings shall be at an
end ; when they shall fall for ever, and she shall ascend to heaven.
7. He shall drink of the brook, or, torrent, in the way ; and therefore shall
Tie lift up his head.
The means, by which Christ should obtain his universal kingdom
and everlasting priesthood, seem here to be assigned. In his " way"
to glory, he was to drink deep of the waters of afl[liction,* the swol-
* The Hebrew word ^ti3 sisrnifies, in general, " a current of water," which may bo
cither a turbid, overwhehning " torrent," or a clear and gentle " stream." In Psal.
xviii. 4, it denotes the " floods of ungodliness ;" in Psal. xxxvi. 8, it is used to signify
the " river of divine pleasures." Honce arises an ambiguity in the interpretation of
the words, " He shall drink of the brook in the way," which may be expounded either
(^ the sufferings Christ lasted, or the refreshments he experienced; as the "waters'*
are supposed to be those of " affliction," or those of " comfort." Either way the sense
is good and true, as it relates to Messiah. " Torrents," or the " overflowing of rivers,'*
in the Scripture language, certainly, as Dr. Durell observes, do often denote '* afflic-
tions ;" as in Psal. xviii. 4, cxxiv. 4, 5, cxliv. 7, &c. " the being oppressed by them," ie
also described by the action of " drinking," Psal. Ix. 3, Ixxv. 8, &c. And the idea of a
406 A COMMENTAUY ON THE PSALMS.
len '-'torrent" occurred in the way, and presented itself between him
and the throne of God. To this "torrent in the way," the Saviour
descended ; he bowed himself down, and " drank" of it for us all ;
and therefore, iidt^^, did he lift up his " head ;" that is, he arose vic-
torious, and, from the valley in which the torrent ran, ascended to
the summit of that holy and heavenly mount, where he reigneth,
till " his enemies be made his footstool." St. Paul hath expressed
the same sentiment in literal terms ; " He humbled himself, and be-
came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross : wherefore,
iioj God also hath highly exalted him." Phil. ii. 8.
PSALM CXI.
ARGUMENT, — This is one of the proper Psalms appointed by the church to be read
on Easter-day. It containefh, 1. a resolution to praise Jehovah in the congregation,
2, 3. for his great and glorious works, and, 4. for the appointed memorials of Ihem ;
5, 6. his mercies to the church are celebrated, and, 7, 8. the equity and the stability
of his counsels declared : 9. the blessings of redemption and the new covenant are
mentioned, as they were prefigured of old in God's dispensation toward Israel.
10. Religion is proclaimed to be true wisdom.
1. / wilt praise the Lord, with my uhole heart, in the assembly of the up-
right J and in the congregation.
Jehovah is to be " praised," not only with the voice and the un-
derstanding, but with the " heart," with the " whole heart," and all
its affections tuned, like the chords of the son of Jesse's harp, to a
song of gratitude and love. Solitary devotion hath, doubtless, its
beauties and excellencies ; but how glorious is it to hear the voices
of a whole Christian " congregation" break forth into hallelujahs,
like the sound of many waters and the noise of mighty thunderings,
while each one, as it were, provokes another to continue the blessed
employment, with unremitted attention, and unabated fervour !
2, TT^e works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleas-
ure therein.
The subjects of man's praise are the " works" of God. Every one
of these works, whether in the natural or the spiritual system, is
" great." Nothing cometh from the hands of the divine Artist but
what is excellent and perfect in its kind, adapted with infinite skill
to its proper place, and fitted for its intended use. Happy are they
who, with humility and diligence, with faith and devotion, give
themselves to the contemplation of these works, and take " pleasure"
and delight therein. To them shall the gate of true science open ;
they shall understand the mysteries of creation, providence, and re-
demption ; and they who thus " seek," shall find the treasures of
eternal wisdom.
"brook in the way," or the road, seems to favour this exposition. But the author ad-
vances it, as becomes him to do, with great deference and submission, since Bishop
Lowth and Mr. Merrick are of a different opinion.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 407
3. His work is honourable and glorious : and his righteousness endureth
for ever.
The " work," of all others, in which the " honour and glorious
majesty" of Jehovah appeared, and which the Christian church cele>
brates with this Psalm, is the salvation and exaltation of our nature,
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ; an event which
contained in it the accomplishment of the ancient promises, and
thereby demonstrated to all tlie world the everlasting truth, fidelity,
and " righteousness" of him who made them.
4. He hath made his wonderful works to he remembered: or, he hath ap-
pointed a memorial for his wonders : the Lord is gracious and fidl of com-
passion.
Jewish feasts were " memorials" of the " wonders" wrought for
Israel of old ; Christian festivals are " memorials" of the " wonders"
wrought in Christ for all mankind, to whom, no less than to Israel,
<jrod hath now showed himself "gracious and full of compassion."
5. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he mil ever be mindful
of his covenant. 6. He hqth .showed his people the power of his works, that
he may, or, might, give them the heritage of the heathen.
Agreeably to the " covenant" which God made with Abraham, as
concerning his children according to the flesh, he "fed" and sup-
ported them in the wilderness, he overthrew their enemies by the
might of his " power," and he put them in possession of Canaan,
which before was " the heritage of the heathen." Agreeably to the
covenant which God made with the same Abraham, as concerning
all beUevers, those " children of the promise which are counted for
the seed," he feedeth them in the world with the true manna,* the
bread which cometh down from heaven ; he hath again "showed
the power of his works" in the overthrow of idolatry ; and again,
by the conversion of the nations, given to his church " the heritage
of the heathen ;" although, hke Israel, she is commanded, and hath
had frequent admonitions, not to fix her heart on an earthly Ca-
naan ; not to expect any permanent habitation, any enduring city
here below ; not to stop short of an eternal and heavenly rest.
7. The works of hi^ hands are verity and judgment ; all his command-
ments are sure. 8. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth
• and uprightness.
In all God's dispensations towards his faithful servants, and to-
wards his impenitent adversaries, we admire and adore his " verity"
in the performance of his promises to the former, and his "justice"
in executing his vengeance on the latter. Thus the time of fulfill-
ing his promise to Abraham came not till the iniquity of the Amo-
rites was full. The case is the same as to the coming of Christ, the
subversion of Paganism, the deaths of persecutors, the rise and fall
* '* Escam dedit" — Manna: quae caetera Dei mirabilia in memoriam revocabat :
nnde in area, servari jussa. Exod, xvi. 32. Erat autem eucharistiae figura, quae vere
divini amoris monumentum aelernum. — Bossuet.
408 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
oi nations, the conversion or excision of individuals, and every
other instance of mercy or judgment. Another property of God's
works is, that, being " done in truth and uprightness, they stand fast
for ever ;" and will then appear in perfect glory and beauty, when
all the arts and laboiirs of man shall be no more.
9. He sent redemption unto his people, fie hath commanded his covenant for
ever : holy and reverend, or, terrible, is his name.
He who " sent redemption" to Israel by the hand of Moses, hath
now " sent redemption " by the power of Jesus to all the world : he
who, at Mount Sinai, established his "covenant" with his people,,
and gave them a law, hath now established his " covenant" with the
Gentiles, and published to them his gospel from Sion. " Holy is his
name," and therefore " terrible" to those who, under all the means
of grace, continue unholy.
10. The fear of the Lord is th£ beginning of wisdom : a good understand-
ing have all they that do his commandments : his pra^e endurethfor ever.
The " fear of God " is the first step to salvation, as it exciteth a
sinner to depart from evil, and to do good ; to implore pardon, and
to sue for grace ; to apply to a Saviour for the one, and to a Sancti-
fier for the other. Religion is the perfection of wisdom, practice the
best instructor, and thanksgiving the sweetest recreation.
PSALM cxn.
ARGUMENT. — The Psalmist enurneratelh the blessings attending the man who
feareth Jehovah : 1. the pleasure which he taketh in doing his will ; 2. the pros-
perity of his seed ; 3. the plenteousness in his house ; 4. his comfort in trouble ;
5. his internal joys ; 6. the honour with which he is remembered ; 7, 8. his holy con-
fide tice in God ; 9. his good deeds, and the reward of them ; 10. the envy, wretch-
edness, and perdition of the wicked. The blessings of the gospel are spiritual and
eternal ; and they are conferred upon the members of the Christian church through
Christ their head, who is the pattern of all righteousness, and the giver of all grace.
1. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that dslighteth greatly in his
commandments ; or, he delighteth greatly in his commandments.
The man who duly "feareth God," is delivered from every other
fear ; the man who " dehghteth in God's commandments," is freed
from every inordinate desire of earthly things ; and such a man must
needs be " ble>sed." Of this kind was thy blessedness, O holy Jesu,
on whom did rest " the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jeho-
vah," and whose " meat" it was " to do tlie will of him that sent
thee, and to finish his work." Isa. xi. 2 ; John, iv. 34.
2. His seed shall be mighty upon earth ; the generation of the uprirght shall
be blessed.
A father's piety derives the benediction of Heaven upon his chil-
dren. The posterity of faithful Abraliam were often spared and
favoured on account of their progenitor ; as the whole family of be-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 409
lievers, Abraham and all, are blessed in Him who is the great Fa-
ther of that family, and the Author of their salvation.
3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house : and his righteousness endureth
for ever.
It sometimes pleaseth God to bestow on his servants, as he did
on Israel of old, the good things of this world. And a rich man is
therefore happier .than a poor man, because " it is more blessed to
give than to receive." Acts, xx. 35. But the true " wealth" of
Christians is of another kind ; their " riches" are such as neither
moth can corrupt, nor thief steal. Grace and glory are ia the
" house " of Christ, and everlasting " righteousness " is the portion
of his children.
4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; he is gracious and
full of compassion, and righteous.
While we are on earth, we are subject to a threefold " darkness ;"
the darkness of error, the darkness of sorrow, and the darkness of
death. To dispel these, God visiteth us, by his word, with a three-
fold " light ;" the light of truth, the light of comfort, and the light
of. life. The Christian's temper is framed after the pattern of this
Master; and he is ever ready to show to others that "love" and
" mercy " which have been shown to him.
5. A good man showeth favour and lendeih : he will guide his affairs with
discretio7i.
The former part of this verse may be rendered, with a httle varia-
tion, " It is well with the man who is gracious and communicative."
Ill-nature and avarice are their own tormentors: but love and liber-
ality do good to themselves by doing it to others, and enjoy all the
happiness which they cause. It is not God's intention, that any of
the talents which he bestowed upon us should lie dead, but that our
brethren sliould have the use of them ; even as Christ received the
Spirit to communicate it to us, and our salvation is his glory and
joy. The latter part of this verse is hkewise capable of a difi'erent,
and, indeed, a more literal translation : " He will support, or main-
tain, his words, or his transactions, in judgment ;" that is, he who
thus employeth his talents for the benefit of mankind, will be able to
render a good account to his Lord who intrusteth them Avith him.
6. Surely he shall not be moved for ever : the righteous shall be in everlast-
ing remembrance. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is
fixed, trusting in the Lord. 8. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid^
until he see his desire upon his enemies.
Nothing can deprive the person here described of his felicity.
When his work is done, his body will go to its repose in the dust,
but the " memorial " of his name and of his good deeds will be still
fresh as the morning breeze, and fragrant as the flower of spring.
"He feareth no evil report, no blast of slander and malice can touch
him ; no tidings of calamity and destruction can shake his confi-
dence in God : but he will hear the tvump of judgment, and behold
62
410 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
the world in flames, rather with joy than with dread ; as knowing,
by those tokens, that the hour of his redemption is come, when " he
shall see his enemies," and even death, the last of them, under his
feet.
9. He hath dispersed^ he hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureih
Jbr eiyer; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
His riches are not hoarded up, but " dispersed" abroad ; and that
not by others after his death, but by himself in his life-time ; " He
hath dispersed." They are not squandered in the ways of vanity
and folly, but " given to the poor ;" nor are they given indiscrimi-
nately and at random, but "dispersed," like precious seed, with pru-
dence and discretion, according to the nature of the soil, and in
proper season, so as to produce the most plentiful harvest. There-
fore " his righteousness endureth for ever ;" its fruits and its good re-
port are lasting among men, and it is never forgotten before God,
who hath prepared for it an eternal reward. " His horn shall be ex-
alted with honour, or, in glory ;" whatever may be his lot upon
earth, and even there the charitable man will frequently be had in
" honour," at the last day, certainly, when the thrones of the mighty
shall be cast down, and the sceptres of tyrants broken in pieces,
then shall he lift up his head, and be exalted to partake of the
" glory" of his Redeemer, the author of his faith, and the pattern of
his charity, who gave himself for us, and is now seated at the right
hand of the Majesty in the heavens.
10. TTie wicked shall see it, and be grieved ; he shall gnash with his teethj
and melt away ; the desire of the tDicked shall perish.
The sight of Christ in glory, with his saints, will, in an inexpres-
sible manner, torment the crucifiers of the one, and the persecutors
of the others ; as it will show them the hopes and wishes of their
adversaries all granted to the full, and all their own "desires" and
designs for ever at an end ; it will excite an envy which must prey
upon itself, produce a grief which can admit of no comfort, give
birth to a worm which can never die, and blow up those fires which
nothing can quench.
PSALM cxni.
ARGUMENT. — The servants of God are, 1. exhorted to praise his name, 2. at all
times, and 3. in all places, on account, 4, 5. of his power and glory, 6 — 8. of his
mercy in redeeming man, and, 9. making the Gentile church to be a joyful mother
of children. This Psalm is appointed to be read on Easter-day.
1. Praise, O ye servarits of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
^. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth, and for evermore.
Christians are the " servants" of Jesus Christ ; and a most delight-
ful part of their service it is, to " praise" his holy and saving " name"
in the church, which now useth this Psalm among others, and with
it " blesseth the name" of her Lord and Saviour, from age to age.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 411
The Psalmist wished and prayed that this might be done, and he
foresaw that it would be done, while the world should last, upon
earth, and aftervt^ards '• for evermore" in heaven.
3. From the rising of the sun unto the going dovm of the same, the Lord's
name is to be praised ; or, is praised. 4. TTie Lord is high above all nations^
and his glory above the heavens.
At the diffusion of the gospel through tlie world, the name of
Christ was praised "from the east to the west," in churches every-
where planted by the apostles and their successors : and the grand
subjects of joy and triumph among believers were, the superiority of
their Master over the " heathen nations" and their idols ; the exalta- .
tion of " his glory above the heavens," and all the powers therein ;
the might of his arm, and the majesty of his kingdom.
5. Wlio is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high ? 6. Who
humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in earth.
Highly as our Lord is exalted above this system, above these
heavens and this earth of ours, yet he condescendeth to regard every
thing that passeth here, and to njake us the inhabitants of this lower
world, and, for our sakes, all the other creatures in it, the objects of
his peculiar care and paternal love.
7. He raiseth the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dung-
hill; 8. ITiat he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his
people.
Such is the mercy to the poor sons of Adam in their fallen estate,
that from the lowest and most abject condition, from the pollutions
of sin and from the dishonours of the grave, he raiseth them to
righteousness and hohness, to glory and immortality ; he setteth
them on high with the inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, " with
the princes of his people," the leaders of the armies above, with
angels and archangels before his throne. What is the exaltation of
the meanest beggar from a dunghill to an earthly diadem, when
compared with that of human nature from the grave to the throne
of God ! Here is honour worthy our ambition ; honour after which
all are alike invited to aspire ; which all may obtain, who strive
worthily and lawfully ; and of which, when once obtained, nothing
<;an ever deprive the possessors.
9. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother
of children. Praise ye the Lord.
In the sacred history of the Old Testament, we meet with fre-
quent instances of barren women who were miraculously made to
bear children. Isaac, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel were thus born of
Sarah, Rachel, the wife of Manoah, and Hannah. To these may
be added, from the history of the New Testament, the instance of
Elizabeth, the wife of Zecharias, and mother of St. John the Bap-
tist. These examples may be considered as preludes to that mar-
vellous exertion of divine power, whereby the Gentile church, after
so many years of barrenness, became, in her old age, a fruitful
412
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
parent of children, and the " mother of us all." Wherefore it is
written, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into
singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child : for
more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the mar-
ried wife, saith the Lord." Isa. liv. 1 ; Gal. iv. 27.
TWENTY-THIRD DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXIV.
ARGUMENT. — This is another of the Psalms appointed by our church to be read on
Easter-day. It celebrates the exodus of Israel from Egypt, and the miracles
wrought for that people, prefiguring the redemption of our nature from sin and death,
and the wonders of mercy and love wrought for us by Jesus Christ.
1. When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of
strange language; 2. Judah was his, that is, Ood\ sanctuary, and Israel his
dominion.
When Jehovah delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt, he
chose them for his peculiar people ; his presence resided in their
camp, as in a " sanctuary," or temple ; and he ruled them as an
earthly king exerciseth sovereignty in his " dominions." This world,
and the Prince of this world, are to us what Egypt and Pharaoh
were to Israel. The redemption of our nature, by the resurrection
of Christ, answereth to their redemption by the hand of Moses.
When we are baptized into the death and resurrection of our Lord,
we renounce the world, its pomps and vanities ; and should, there-
fore, quit its corrupt " language," manners, and customs, with as
much alacrity and expedition, as "the family of Jacob" left those of
Egypt. We are the "sanctuary," the temple, in which Christ
dwelleth by his Spirit ; we are the subjects of his spiritual " king-
dom," we are his peculiar people ; in one word, we are his " churcli,"
and succeed, as such, to all the titles and privileges formerly conferred
on Israel.
3. The sea saw it and fled; Jordan was driven hack.
Although forty years intervened between the two events here
mentioned, yet, as the miracles were of a similar nature, they are
spoken of together. In the passage of Israel through the Red Sea,
we may contemplate our passage from a death of sin to a life of
righteousness through the waters of baptism ; as our translation
from death temporal to life eternal, is figured by their entrance into
the promised land through the river Jordan. The waters in both
cases are poetically represented as sensible of their Creator's presence,
and by their retiring, and opening a path for the people of God, we
are taught, that if we continue faithful, all obstructions will be re-
moved in our way to heaven.
4. The mountains slapped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
The tremours of Mount Sinai and the fieighbouring hills, wheft
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 418
the law was given, afforded some specimen of that power which was
afterwards exerted in the overthrow of idolatry, and the casting
down of every high thing that exalted itself against the gospel at its
publication. " See, therefore, that ye jefuse not him that speaketh :
for if they eseaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh
from heaven ; whose voice then shook the earth ; but now he hath
promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven." Heb. xii. 25.
5. What ailed thee, O thou sea^that thou jieddest ; thou, Jordan, that thou
wast driven hack 7 6. Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams ; and ye little
hills, like lambs? 7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the
presence of the God of Jacob.
If the divine presence hath such an effect upon inanimate matter,
how ought it to operate on rational and accountable beings ? Let
us be afraid, with an holy fear, at the presence of God, in the world
by his providence, and by his Spirit in our consciences ; so that we
may have hope and courage in the day when h^ shall arise to shake
terribly the earth ; when '' every island shall fly away, and the
mountains shall be no more found." Rev. xvi. 20.
8. Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of
waters.
He who brought water out of the sacramental rock in the wilder-
ness, hath since caused rivers of living water to flow through the
world, from the rock of our salvation ; nay, he hath dissolved the
stony hearts of sinners, and made to spring up in them fountains of
this water of life. For these great instances of his power and his
love, we are taught to bless his holy name, when we sing this Psalm,
as an evangelical hymn, on the day of our Lord's resurrection.
PSALM CXV.
ARGUMENT.— The church, 1, 2. prayeth that God would glorify himself in her
salvation ; 3. she declareth her faith in hira ; 4 — 8. exposeth the vanity and folly of
idolatry; 9 — 11. exhorteth her children to rely upon Jehovah; 12 — 15. foretelleth
how he will bless, prosper, and increavse his people, 16 — 18. never suffering the voice
of praise and thanksgiving to cease upon the earth.
1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy
TTvercy, and /or thy truth's sake. 2. Wherefore should the heathen say, JVhere
is now their God 1
From these two verses it is evident that the Psalm is not a thanks-
giving for victory, but a petition for deliverance. God is entreated
to " give glory," by such deliverance, " not to us," to our works or
endeavours, but " to his own name ;" he is requested to vouchsafe
salvation, not on account of our merits, but of his " mercy," which
inclineth him to be gracious ; of his "truth," which disposeth him to
fulfil his promises; and of his "honour," that the enemy may not
have occasion to blaspheme him, and reproach his servants, as
414 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
if their Master either could not or would not help them in the day of
their distress. " Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now
their God ?"
3. But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased:
or, he doeth whatsoever he pleaseth.
Should the insulting adversary ask the above question, " Where is
now their God ?" the faithful are ready with their reply, " Our God
is in the heavens;" he is, where he ever was, upon his glorious
throne, high over all the kingdoms of the world, and the powers of
created nature ; from thence he observeth and ordereth all things
here below ; what we suffer is by his appointment ; and, at his good
time and pleasure, he both can and will relieve us : " he doeth what-
soever he pleaseth."
4. TVieir idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5. TViey have
mouths, but they speak not ; eyes have they, but they see not. 6. They have
ears, but they hear not ; noses have they, but they smell not. 7. They have
hands, but they handle* not ; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak
they through their throat.
A beautiful contrast is formed between the God of Israel and the
heathen idols. He made every thing, they are themselves made by
men ; he is in heaven, they are upon earth ; he doeth whatsoever
he pleaseth, they can do nothing ; he seeth the distresses, heareth
and answereth the prayers, accepteth the offerings, cometh to the
assistance, and effecteth the salvation of his servants ; they are blind,
deaf, and dumb, senseless, motionless, and impotent. Equally slow
to hear, equally impotent to save in time of greatest need, will every
worldly idol prove, on which men have set their affections, and to
which they have, in effect, said, " Thou art my God."
8. TViey that make them are like unto them ; so is every one that trusteth
in them. •
Idolaters, like the objects of their worship, are rather lifeless images
than real men. What our Lord said of the Jews is applicable to
them, and indeed to all who reject the knowledge of the true God,
and the doctrines of salvation : " Having eyes they see not, having
ears they hear not." They see not the things which belong unto
their peace ; they hear not the word of instruction and exhortation ;
they speak not of religion and the kingdom of heaven ; they work
not the works of piety and charity ; they walk not in the path of
the divine commandments ; they are spiritually blind, deaf, dumb,
lame, and impotent ; and when their idols are destroyed, they will
perish in hke manner.
9. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord ; he is their hdp and their shield. 10. O
house of Aaron, trust in the Lord ; he is their help and their shield. 11. Ye
that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord : he is their help and their shield.
Let the men of the world make to themselves gods, and vainly
trust in the work of their own hands or heads ; but let the church
repose all her confidence in Jehovah, her Saviour and Redeemer,
who alone can be her defender and protector ; more especially let
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. HB
her ministers, the sons of the true Aaron, do this, who are the pecu-
liar portion of their God, employed continually in his service, and
designed to build up others in faith and hope ; and let all who have
been instructed by their ministry, in the fear of the Lord, trust al-
ways in him, nor suffer any apprehension of danger or distress to
separate them from him.
12. The Lord hath been, or, is, mindfvl of us ; he uill bless us; ^e will
bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron. 13. He will bless
them that fear the Lord, botli S7nall and great. 14. The Loni shall increase
you niore and more, you and your children. 15. Ye are blessed of the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
The heart of the Psalmist is full of " blessing," and on his tongue
is the word of kindness and comfort. The " blessings" formerly
confined to Israel, have since been extended to the whole race of
mankind. Jehovah, ever " mindful" of his creatures, hath visited
the world by his Son and by his Spirit ; he hath formed a church
from among the Gentiles, appoijited a priesthood and ministry in it,
and given his benediction to both ; he hath " blessed," with the
blessings of grace, "them that fear him," of all nations, and of
every degree ; he hath " increased" and nmltiplied his people ex-
ceedingly ; and the faithful members of the Christian church are
now " the blessed of Jehovah, who made heaven and earth," and
who is, consequently, possessed of all power in both.
16. The heaven, even the heavens, or, the heavens of heavens, are the Lord's ;
but the earth hath he given to the children of men. 17. The dead praise not
the hord,' neither any that go down into silence. 18. But we will bless the
LtOTd,from this time forth and for everm,ore. Praise the hord.
He who himself dwelleth in the highest heavens, where he is
praised and glorified by angels, hath " given the earth" for an habi-
tation, at present, "to the sons of men,'' whose duty it is to praise
and glorify him here below, as the angels do above. Now as " the
dead cannot praise him," as they who sleep in the silent grave can-
not celebrate him, we may be certain, that he will not suffer his
people to be destroyed and extirpated, but w^ill always preserve a
church to "bless him" in all ages, lill the end of the w^orld ; when
the dead shall be raised, and the choirs of heaven and earth shall
be united, to praise and glorify him together before his throne for
evermore.
TWENTY-FOURTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CXVL
ARGUMENT. — Tt is not certain by whom, or upon what occasion, this Psalm was
composed. It plainly app^^ars, however, to be a songr of thanksgrivingf for deliver-
ance from trouble, either temporal, or spiritual, or both. To render it of general use,
let it be considered as an evaiigrelical hymn, in the mouth of a penitent, expressing
his gratitude for salration from sin and death. 1,2. He declareth his love of God,
416 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
who hath vouchsafed to hear his prayer ; 3 — 9. describeth his distress, his deliver-
ance out of it, and subsequent peace and comfort; 10, 11. he acknowledgeth him-
self to have been tempted to despond, but was supported by faith, in the day of
trouble ; 12 — 19. he determineth to receive the cup of salvation, to praise and to
serve Jehovah, who thus delivereth the souJs of his people.
1. / love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
2. Because he hath inclined his ears unto me, therefore will I call upon him
as long as I live.
In the original it is, " I love,* because Jehovah hath heard," &c.
The soul, transported with gratitude and love, seems at first to ex-
press her aflfection without declaring its object, as thinking that all
the world must know who is the person intended. Thus Mary-
Magdalen, in her conversation, at the sepulchre, with one whom
she supposed to have been the gardener, though no previous mention
had been made of Jesus, saith, '• Sir, if thou have borne him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." John,
XX. 15. And ought not the love of God to be excited in all our
hearts by the consideration that, when we were not able to raise
ourselves up to him, he merc.fuUy and tenderly "inclined" and
bowed down " his ear" to us ; he " heard our supphcations," and
descended from heaven to help and deliver us? With hope, there-
fore, and confidence should we " call upon him," in all our troubles,
" as long as we live."
3. The. sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon
me ; I found trouble and sorrow. 4. Then called I upon the name of the
Lord ; O Lord, / beseech thee, deliver my soul.
These " sorrows," or " bands of death," once " compassed" the
human race : these " pains of hell" were ready to seize on every son
of Adam. The awakened and terrified conscience of a sinner hath
felt the oppression of the former, and experienced some foretaste of
the latter. In this situation he is described by St. Paul as crying
out, " O wretched man that I am, who shall dehver me from this
body of death?" Let him take the course which the Psalmist took ;
let him " call upon the name of the Lord," even the Lord Jesus, who
put himself in the sinner's place, and suffered for him unspeakable
" sorrows and pains ;" let him do this, and he shall be saved ; and
shall sing the praises of his Almighty Saviour, in the words of this
beautiful Psalm.
5. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous: yea, our God is merciful. 6. The
Lord prescrveth the simple : J was brought low, and he helped me.
In the salvation of a sinner we contemplate God's " grace," by
which th^ work is effected ; his " righteousness," which causeth him
to perform what he hath promised through Christ; his "mercy,"
which induced him to send his Son, and to make the promise. This
mercy is the mercy of a parent, and such as a parent showeth to
those young and " simple" ones, who have been overreached and
* Some critics prefer our old version, — " I am well pleased."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS, ^t
deceived by a crafty adversary ; to those who fall, and are unable
of themselves to rise again : " I was brought low, and he helped me."
7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for' the Lord hath dealt bountifully with
thee. 8. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling. 9. / will walk before the Lord mi the land of the
living.
That peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost, which the
penitent experienceth, as the effect and fruit of pardon, afford him
some idea of the rest and fehcity of heaven ; and, accordingly, he
speaks as one translated to those happy mansions where there is no
more death, neither sorrow nor crying, because there is no more sin.
A Christian, dehvered out of the miseries of this troublesome world,
and at rest in Abraham's bosom, would express himself, as one
should think, in these very terms. Remission of sins ought to be
followed by newness of life, and the resolution of him whose " soul"
hath been " delivered from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet
from falling," should always be this, " I will walk before the Lord,"
as one under his inspection, " in the land of the Hving," or amongst
the redeemed in the church ; until the time come for me to depart
hence, and to be numbered with the saints in glory everlasting.
10. J believed, therefore have I spoken : I was greatly abided ; 11. I said
in my haste, all men are liars.
In affliction and distresses, those of the spirit and conscience more
-especially, the soul is tempted to despond, and can only be supported
by faith exerting itself in prayer : " I beheved, and therefore have I
spoken," or, " therefore spake I," that is, as above, verse 4. " I called
upon the name of the Lord ; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my
soul." And this I did, though so "greatly afflicted," that I had
" said in my haste," in my hurry and trepidation occasioned by fear
and amazement, " aU men are liars ;" there is no credit to be given
to their promises of deliverance ; I am lost and undone for ever.
Yet my faith failed not entirely, and, lo, my prayer hath been heard
and answered. St. Paul, relating the troubles which came upon
him, and the manner in which he sustained them, thus cited a part
of the tenth verse : " We, having the same spirit of faith, according
^s it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken : we also
believe, and therefore speak ; knowing that he, which raised up the
Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with
you." 2 Cor. iv. 13, 14.
12. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me ?
13. 1 will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
The grateful penitent now asketh, what return he shall make to
his kind Benefactor, for the most valuable of all blessings conferred
upon him. And he presently resolveth to make the only return in
his power, namely, to acknowledge and declare before men the
goodness of Jehovah, ascribing all the glory where it is all due.
This he determineth to do, by "taking the cup of salvation," which,
63
418 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
i
as Dr. Hammond observes, among the Jews was two-fold ; one"
offered in a more solemn manner in the temple ; Numb, xxviii. 7 j
the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or
commemoration of any deliverance, begun by the master of the-
family, and attended, on festival days, with a suitable hymn ; such
as was that sung by our Lord and his disciples on the night when
he advanced that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath
ever since been to Christians " the cup of salvation," and which all.
penitents should now receive in the church, with invocation, thanks-
giving, and payment of the " vows" made in time of trouble.
15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
The notion of ihe original word, -p*', in this place, for ^' rare," or,
"precious," must be so taken as not to signify that which is spoken
of to be desirable to, or in the presence of, the Lord ; for it is the life,
not the death, of his servants which is precious, in that sense, to
God, the preserver of their lives. But when it is said that their
" death is precious," it means in effect no more than that it is so
considered, it is rated at so high a price by God, as that he will not .
easily grant it to any one who most desires it of him. Thus far Dr..
Hammond. We may add, that much less will God be easily prevailed
on to give up his people to death eternal. Rather will he work
wonders of mercy and loving kindness to save them ; as the peni-
tent happily experienceth in himself
16. O Lord, truly J am fhy servant, lam thy servant, and the son of thine
handmaid; thou hast loosed my bonds. 17. I will offer to thee the sacrifice
of thanksgiving^ and will call upon the name of the Lord. 18. J will pay my
vows unto the Lord now in ^he presence of all his people. 19. In the courts-
of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.
Every penitent is the " servant" of God, " the son of his hand-
maid," the church, " loosed from his bonds," and redeemed from a
state of slavery under sin, the world, and the devil, that he may
serve a better Master, whose "yoke is easy and his burden light.'*
This blessed Master is from thenceforth the object of his love, duty,
and adoration : to him he " offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving,"
to him he " payeth his vows," among his fellow-servants in the
church on earth ; longing for that day to come when, loosed also
from the bonds of death and the grave, he shall be admitted to sing
hallelujahs with saints and angels, in the " courts" of the eternal
temple, even " in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem," the holy, heav-
enly, and glorious city of God Most High.
PSALM cxvn.
ARGUMENT.— This Psalm, like the hundred and tenth, seems to be aUog:ether pro-
phetical of the joy that all the world should couceive, at the coming of the Mes-
siah, to give salvation, first to the Jews, and then to all other nations, according to-
his faithful promise. — Patrick.
1. O praise the Lord, all ye nations : praise Mm, all ye people. 2. For
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 419
his merciful kindness is great towards us : and the trxUh of the Lord endureth
for ever. Praise ye the Lord.
It is remarkable that of so short a Psahn one verse is quoted in
the New Testament by St. Paul; the second verse is explained,
though not quoted. Two questions naturally arise upon reading the
Psalm ; first, who are the " nations and people" exhorted to praise
Jehovah l secondly, what is that " merciful kindness," and that
" truth," for which they are exhorted to praise him ? The apostle
hath given a satisfactory and decisive answer to both these ques-
tions, Rom. XV. 8, 9, <fec. " Now, I say, that Jesus Christ was a
minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy ; as it is written, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles,
and laud him, all ye people." Frorn the apostle's reasoning, the
verse of our Psalm, which he hath cited, appears to be a proof that
" the Gentiles," or the heathen world, should one day '' glorify God ;"
they are, therefore, the " people" whom the Psalmist, in the spirit of
prophecy, exhorted to " praise Jehovah." It appears also, why the
Gentiles were to glorify God ; namely, for his " mercy," and "truth,"
shown in confirming or accomplishing the " promises," concerning
their vocation and conversion, " made unto the fathers ;"* to Abra-
ham, and his seed for ever ; to all believers, whether of the circum-
cision or the uncircumcision. Such, then, is the "merciful kind-
ness" of Jehovah, which is said, in the Psalm, to be " great," mighty,
and powerful, " toward us ;" such his " truth," which is affirmed to
" endure for ever ;" as the promises were made good to the Gentiles,
when the Jews, because of unbelief, had been cast off. Let the
hallelujahs of the redeemed be suitable to that " mercy," and co-
eternal with that " truth."
PSALM CXVIII.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, a king of Israel appears leading his people in solemn
procession to the temple, there to offer up the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
for the marvellous deliverance from his enemies, and a glorious victoiy gained over
them. After inviting the whole nation, 1 — 4. to join with him upon this joyful occa-
sion, he describeth at large, 5 — 18. his danger, and his deliverance from it, which
latter is wholly attributed to the power and goodness of Jehovah. After this, as Mr.
Mudge has rightly observed, there ensues a kind of sacred dialogue. Being come to
the temple, the victorious monarch speaks the 19th verse ; they open the gate, the
20th ; he again, as he enters, the 21st ; they with him seem to speak the next four
verses, to the 25th ; the priests of the temple the 26th : the first part to the king,
the other to the people ; the people the 27th ; he the 28th ; the 29th is the chorus
verse, concluding as it began. The repeated application made of the 22d verse in
the New Testament, and the appointment of the Psalm, by the church, to be used
on Easter-day, lead us to consider the wh9le as a triumphant hymn, sung by King
» « Confirmata — et Veritas Domini" — Promiserat enim Abrahamo Deus futurum, ut
per Christum, benedictum illud Abrahami semen, benedicerentur omnes Gentes, Gen.
xii. 3 ; XV. 18. interprete Apostolo, Gal. iii. 16. Quod cum praestitum videamus, jam
intelligimus ver6 advenisse Christum, ac promisaa Dei firma csbc omnia. — Botsuet.
420 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
Messiah, at the head of the Israel of God, on occasion of his resurrection and
exaltation.
1. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good : because his mercy endureth
far ever. 2. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth /or ever. 3. Let
the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 4. Let them
now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth /or ever.
The subjects of "thanksgiving" here proposed are Jehovah's
" goodness" and his " mercy." He is the sole fountain of absolute
and essential "goodness," the source of all excellency and perfection ;
and his " mercy" is the channel by which he communicateth this
goodness, in an overflowing stream, to his people, who are, therefore,
exhorted to praise him. The Christian church is now " the Israel
of God ;" her ministers constitute the true " house of Aaron," being
the spiritual progeny of our great High-priest ; and the Gentiles, not
the Jews, are they who know and " fear Jehovah." Let these all
celebrate, for these all have experienced, the benefits and blessings
of " eternal mercy," by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
5. / called upon the Lord in distress : the Lord answered me, and set me
in a large place.
The true value of every deliverance is to be estimated by the na-
ture of the " distress" which required it. The rescue of DavW from
his enemies, or that of Israel from captivity, might deservedly be ex-
tolled with the songs of Sion. How much more, then, is the church
universal bound to Uft up her voice in honour of Jehovah, who hath
redeemed her from her spiritual adversaries, and freed her from the
bondage of corruption, through Him who " died for her sins, and
rose again for her justification ;" who, in the days of his flesh, being,
on her account, in " distress" and aflfliction, " called upon Jehovah,
and was answered," by an ^ enlargement," from the narrow prison
of the grave, to a boundless and glorious kingdom !
6. The Lord is on my side ; I will not fear : what can man do unto me 7
7. 7%e Lord takcth my part with them that help me : therefore shall I see my
desire upon them that hate me.
By frequent experience of the divine power and mercy, from time
to time exerted on the behalf of Israel, that nation was instructed to
trust in Jehovah ; and, whenever they did so, success and victory
never failed to attend their steps. Would not the case be the same
with us in all our undertakings, if our faith was right and steadfast
in God, who raised up Jesus from the dead, and who hath promised
to make us " more than conquerors ?"
8. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 9. It is
better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Armies of " men," however numerous, and to appearance power-
ful, may be routed and dispersed at once. " Princes" may not be
able to help us ; if able, they may fail us, as not being willing to do
it ; if both able and willing, they may die ere they can execute
their purpose. But that hope which is placed in God can never, by
these or any other means, be disappointed. As we so often repeat
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 421
these two verses, let us act agreeably to the declaration which we
then make, and, instead of courting the world, by undue compli-
ances, for its deceitful smiles and treacherous favours, let us in all
points do our duty, and leave the event to God above. To encour-
age us in the performance of such a resolution as this, let it be re-
membered, that because our Saviour " witnessed a good confession
before Pontius Pilate," and with meekness and patience resigned
himself to the death of the cross for it, therefore God exalted him to
glory and honour.
10. All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will T, or,
I did, destroy them. 11. They compassed me about, yea, they compassed me
about : but in the name of the Lord / will, or, / did, destroy them. 12. They
compassed me about like bees, they are quenched as the fire of thorns; for in
the name of the Lord / will, or, / did, destroy them.
The tenour of the Psalm being one of thanksgiving for a de-
liverance already experienced, seemeth to require that the verb,
at the close of each of these verses, should be rendered in the
past time ; not " 1 will destroy them," but " I did destroy them ;"
especially as it is said, "they compassed me about," and "they are
quenched." As David and Israel were encompassed by hostile na-
tions, over whom, through God's assistance, they often triumphed ;
so the Son of David, in the day of his passion, was surrounded by
the furious multitude of Jews and Gentiles, seeking his life ; and,
after the same example, his mystical body, the church, hath fre-
quently been, on all sides, vexed and persecuted in the world. But,
through the power of Jehovah, Christ overcame, and is set down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high. The church, likewise, hath
often risen superior to the efforts of her innumerable and malicious
enemies, whose fury hath blazed forth against her with the sudden
fierceness of " fire," when it is applied to a heap of dry "thorns;"
and hath been as soon at an end ; she hath triumphed, yea, and she
will finally triumph, " in the name of the Lord her God."
13. Thou hast thrust sore at me, that I might fall : but the Lord helped
me. 14. The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous;
the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly. 16. TJie right hand of the Lord
is exalted ; the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly.
The church may consider herself as victorious over her great ad-
versary, the author of all evil, who had made his grand effort to ef-
fect her destruction, by putting to death her champion and king,
Messiah. But Jehovah appeared at the time appointed, to bring
him, and, virtually, all that should believe in him, from the dead.
"Thou hast thrust sore at me, that I might fall j but Jehovah
helped me." Risen, therefore, with Christ, from the grave, we pro-
ceed to praise Jehovah, in the words which Moses and Israel first
used, when they had ascended from tlie depths of the sea, and be-
held their enemies destroyed for ever : " Jehovah is my strength, and
my song, and is become my salvation." Exod. xv. 2. And never
doth that sacred day come round, on which the resurrection of Jesus
422 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
is celebrated, but " the voice of rejoicing is in the tabernacles of the
righteous ;" there is a noise of them that sing for joy, in the camp
of the saints ; the church militant resoundeth with thanksgiving,
and the voice of melody ; paradise is restored below, and earth bear-
eth some resemblance of heaven, while these transporting hymns are
sung in honour of our great Redeemer ! He is that " arm and right
hand of Jehovah" which hath " done valiantly," which hath crushed
our strongest enemy, and is very highly '' exalted" over all. " Thy
right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power ; thy right hand,
O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy." Exod. xv. 6.
17. / shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. 18. 7%fi
Lord hath chastened me sore : but he hath not given me over unto death.
As Christ is risen, " we shall not die, but Uve ;" we shall not die
eternally, but we shall live in this world a life of grace ; in the world
to come, the life of glory; Hhat we may in both "declare the
works" and chant the praises of God our Saviour. We are " chas-
tened" for our sins, but " not given over to death" and destruction
everlasting ; nay, our being " chastened" is now a proof that we are
not so " given over ;" for " what son is he whom the father chasten-
eth not?" Heb. xii. 7.
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness ; I will go in to them, and / will
praise the Lord: 20. This gate, or, Tliis is the gate, of the Lord, into which
the righteous shall enter. 21. I will thank thee, for thou hast heard me, and
art become my salvation.
The faithful, like David and his people of old, demand admission
into the courts of the Lord's house, there to praise him for his great
and manifold mercies. But we may extend our ideas much further,
and consider the whole company of the redeemed, as beholding the
angels ready to unbar the gates of heaven, and throw open the doors
of the eternal sanctuary, for the true disciples of the risen and glori-
fied Jesus to enter in. " Open ye," may believers exclaim in tri-
umph, to those celestial spirits who dehght to minister to the heirs of
salvation, " open ye the gates of righteousness," those gates through
which nothing unclean can pass, "that the righteous nation, which
keepeth the truth, may enter in," Isa. xxvi. 2, and sing, with your
harmonious choirs, the praises of him who sitteth upon the throne ;
for he hath overcome the sharpness of death, he hath opened the
kingdom of heaven to all believers. " This is the gate of the Lord
into which the righteous shall enter," to take possession of the in-
heritance prepared for them, " to thank " him who hath " heard
them, and is become their salvation."
22. The stone which tJce builders refused, is become the head stone of the
comer. 23. This is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes.
Whether this passage had a reference to the case of David,* who,
* David a Savile et aliquandiu h decern tribubus reprobatus, ac soli tribui Judas ag-
nitus, deinde omnium princeps ; et sub figurft. ejus Christus k Judieit ac Gentibus im-
petitus, mox utrorumque caput, ut ipse interpretatur, Matt. xxi. 42. — Bossuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 423
,ss a figure of Messiah, was brought from a state of rejection and
persecution to the throne of Israel ; or whether there be any truth in
a Jewish tradition concerning a certain stone, which, after having
been, by the builders of the second temple, thrown aside among the
rubbish, was at last found to be exactly fitted for the honourable
place of a chief corner-stone, it is neither possible nor needful to ascer-
tain. That the verses belong, in a full, proper sense, to Messiah^ is
confessed by the rabbis, and acknowledged by all. No text in the
Old Testament is quoted by the writers of the New so often as this,
which we meet with in six different places ; namely. Matt. xxi. 42 ;
Mark xii. 10 ; Luke xx. 17 ; Acts iv. 11 ; Ephes. ii. 20 ; 1 Pet. ii. 4.
The sum and substance of the New Testament applications and ex-
positions is, that Jesus Christ is the stone here mentioned ; that he
was rejected and set at nought by the chief priests and Pharisees, the
then builders of the church ; but that, being chosen of God and pre-
cious to him, this most valuable stone, thus despised and rejected of
men, thus thrown among the rubbish, and buried in it, was at
.length, from such a state, exalted to be the chief corner-stone in the
building, the main support of the edifice, and a centre of union for
Jew and Gentile, the two parts of which it consisted ; that this was
the work of God, and the admiration of man. And what can be
more truly marvellous, than that a person, put to death as a male-
factor, and laid in the grave, should from thence arise immortal, and
become the head of an immortal society ; should ascend into heaven,
be invested with power, and crowned with glory; and should pre-
pare a way for the sons of Adam to follow him into those mansions
' of eternal bliss ?
24. This is the day which the Lord hath made ; ue will rejoice and be glad
in it.
Of the day on which Christ arose from the dead, it may, with
' more propriety than of any other day, be affirmed, " This is the day
w^hich Jehovah hath made." Then it was that the "rejected stone"
' became the " head of the corner." A morning then dawned which
is to be followed by no evening ; a brighter sun arose upon the
world, which is to set no more ; a day began, which will never end ;
and night and darkness departed, to return not again. For thus
saith the Lord to his church by the prophet Isaiah, " Thy sun shall
no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning
shall be ended." Isa. Ix. 20. Easter-day is in a peculiar manner
consecrated to Him who, by his resurrection, triumphed over death
and hell. On that day, through faith, we triumph with him ; we
" rejoice and are glad in his salvation."
25. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord : O Lord, / beseech thee, send now
prosperity. 26. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord : we have
blessed you out of, or, you that are of, the house of the Lord.
As a prelude to the triumphant manner in which Jesus Christ,
after his resurrection, should ascend to the heavenly Jerusalem, he
424 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
entered the earthly city, before his passion, amidst the acclamations
of the multitude, who hailed him as King of Sion, and with palm-
branches, the emblems of victory, in their hands, sung before him
these words, partly taken from our Psalm, " Hosanna to the Son of
David : blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : Ho-
sanna in the highest." The word " Hosanna," is in the original
X3n?''u]n, " Save now !" The form of words used by the people was
both a petition and a congratulation ; as if they had said, Let us be-
seech Jehovah, in the language of the hundred and eighteenth
Psalm, to grant salvation to the Son of David, and to send us now
prosperity under him. Blessed is he who thus cometh, not in his
own name and power, but in the name and power of Jehovah, ac-
cording to the prophecies concerning him, to deliver us from all our
enemies. Ratify, O Jehovah, in the highest, or in heaven, these
petitions which we make for the salvation and prosperity of our king,
that thy blessings upon him and us may be established on earth.
Since the resurrection of our Lord, the faithful have expressed, in
these two verses, the same wishes and prayers for the increase of his
kingdom, and the prosperity of his house and family, of his minis-
ters and his people : " We bless you that are of the house of Je-
hovah."
27. God is the Lord, which hath showed us light : hind the sacrifice with
cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
As Jehovah hath manifested his power and glory, by raising
Christ from the dead ; as he hath, by so doing, " showed us the
light" of life and imraortaUty ; let us observe the festival which is
designed to perpetuate the memory of so great and joyful an event.
" Christ, our passover," saith an apostle, " is sacrificed for us ; there-
fore let us keep the feast." 1 Cor. v. 7. Let us keep it, only chang-
ing legal for evangelical sacraments and ceremonies ; let us go to
the altar, not to see a figure of the Lamb of God, as he was to be
slain ; but to behold a representation of him as he hath been slain ;
to behold, in figure, his body broken, and his blood poured out; to
eat the bread of life and drink the cup of salvation.
28. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will ex-
alt thee. 29. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good ; for his mercy •
endure th for ever.
The prophet declareth his resolution to " praise" and to " exalt,"
to magnify and to glorify, his " God ;" he then concludes, as he be-
gan, with exhorting all the world to do the same. Preserve to us,
blessed Lord, the use of these divine hymns in thy church, until, at
the resurrection of the just, we shall celebrate an Easter in heaven, ,
and sing them new in the kingdom of God.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 425
TWENTY-FOURTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXIX.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm is divided, (most probably for the advantage of memory,)
according to the number of letters which compose the Hebrew alphabet, into twenty -
two portions, of eight verses each ; and not only every portion, but every verse of
that portion, begins with the letter appropriated to it. David must, undoubtedly,
have been the author. He describeth, in a series of devotional meditations, the in-
struction and the comfort which, through all vicissitudes of mind and fortune, he had
ever found in the word of God. The many strong expressions of love towards the
law, and the repeated resolutions and vows to observe it, will often force us to turn
our thoughts to the true David, whose " meat and drink it was to do the will of him
that sent him." The passages more especially characteristic of him, as well as those
which allude primarily to any particular circumstances in the history of the patriarch
David, are pointed out in the course of the comment. But the chief design through
the whole hath been, to draw forth the lessons of heavenly wisdom and comfort,
contained in this interesting composition, for the service of believers, who, while they
are accomplishing their pilgrimage and warfare upon earth, should continually solace
themselves with the hundred and nineteenth Psalm, and repair to it as to a fountain,
which can never be exhausted. Between the verses of each portion, a connexion is
frequently to be traced ; but it doth not often seem to extend from one portion to
another. The many words employed to express the revelations of God's will have
distinct significations, denoting different parts or portions of the Scriptures, which it
hath sometimes been found of great use to take into consideration, while at others
the terms appear to be used promiscuously, in a general sense, and for the sake of
variety.
ALEPH.— PART I.
1. Blessed are the undejiled^ Heb. perfect^ or, sincere in the way, who walk
in the law of the Lord.
By sin, misery entered into the world ; holiness alone, therefore,
can lead us to happiness. "The law of Jehovah " is the path of
life, and by " walking in the way" we shall attain to the end. But,
alas ! we are out of the way ; we have walked in the law of sin,
after the lusts of the flesh ; who will direct and strengthen us to
walk in the law of God, after the desire of the Spirit? We are
fallen from our integrity ; w^ho will raise us again ? The gospel,
which was preached to Abraham before the Mosaic dispensation, and
which was prefigured and believed under it, returneth us, to all
these questions, answers of peace. The Redeemer hath prevailed
for the pardon of our errors ; the Redeemer hath raised us from our
fallen state ; he hath reconducted us to the path of life ; in his
name we arise and walk ; he maketh us righteous, and, conse-
quently, he maketh us " blessed." For, " Blessed are the sincere in
the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah."^
2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies^ and that seek him with their
whole heart.
The divine revelations and institutions, whether of the old or the
new law, are called God's " testimonies ;" they are the witnesses of
his will, and the pledges of his love. They are committed to the
church, as a precious deposit, or trust, to be by her children " kept"
and observed. In and by these God is to be sought ; " they that
54
436 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
seek him with their whole heart," with ardent and undivided affec-
tion, fail not to find him, as an instructor and a comforter ; and they
who find him, find all things, and are " blessed" indeed.
3. They also that do no iniquity, they that walk in his ways.
O blissful state of those who are redeemed from the earth, and all
earthly desires, who are delivered from the dominion of sin, who
" follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth," and, like Zacharias
and Elizabeth, " walk in the statutes and ordinances of the Lord,
blameless." Luke, i. 6. Enrol us, O Lord, in the happy number
of these thy servants ; pardon our offences ; give us a new nature,
and new desires, averse from sin, and inclined to sanctity ; and
guard us, that the wicked one touch us not.
4. TTiou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
He who made us, and redeemed us, hath a double right to our
service. We are not our own, having been bought with the blood
of our Lord ; his will, therefore, and not our own, is to be done by
us. And his will is, that we should keep " his precepts diligently,"
because in " keeping" them, and in keeping them " diligently," so as
not to halt between God and the world, but to serve one master only,
doth our happiness consist. Now, when the commands of our Su-
perior, and our greatest Benefactor, of our Friend, our Father, and
our God, coincide with our own interests, temporal and eternal, what
pretext can there be for disobedience and rebellion ?
5. O that my ways were directed, or, prepared and established, to keep thy
statutes !
The faithful soul, enraptured with the contemplation of that bless-
edness which is the consequence of serving God, but conscious, at
the same time, of an inability to attain it, sighs after the refreshing
and strengthening influences of divine grace. She beholdeth her
Saviour afar off; she beholdeth the beauty and glorious majesty of
his heavenly kingdom ; she beholdeth the way which leads to it ;
but she hath not power to walk therein. This consideration caused
her to groan earnestly within herself, and at length to breathe forth
a wish that the Spirit of truth and love would fix and estabhsh her
in a holy course of thinking, speaking, and acting, upon all occa-
fiions, and would prevent her from turning aside out of it, to the
right hand or to the left.
6. Then shall 1 not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy com^
mandments.
All the commandments have the same author, and the same sanc-
tion. He who thinketh to atone for the breach of one, by the obser-
vation of another, he who reserveth to himself a license of indulging
any favourite, darling lust, while, in general, he preserveth the ap-
pearance of an exemplary conduct, is a hypocrite, and, unless he
repent, will be brought to " shame," if not before men here, yet before
men and angels hereafter. " Shame" is the fruit of sin ; confidence
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 427
is the effect of righteousness. Wherefore, in all our proceedings, let
us " have respect," not to the opinions of men, to the corrupt customs
of the world, or to the deceitful suggestions of our own hearts, but
" to the commandments, to all the commandments of God ;" let us,
as St. John exhorteth, " abide in Christ ;" that when he shall " ap-
pear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at
his coming." 1 John, ii. 28.
7. / will praise thee with uprightness of hearty when I shall have learned
thy righteous judgments.
Confidence in God will always be productive of joy, and undis-
sembled " praise" will accompany true conversion. The Scriptures
are styled God's " righteous judgments," as containing an account
of his decrees and determinations concerning us, with a history of
cases and precedents, entered upon record for our admonition. By
these we are to form our opinions, and to regulate our conduct. And
when we shall have so '• learned" these, as to walk according to
them, we shall praise God with an " upright heart ;" our tongues
will utter what our hearts feel.
8. / will keep thy statutes : O forsake me not utterly.
The result of our meditations on God's \vord, and on the advan-
tages of studying, in order to observe its directions, should always be
a resolution so to do, and a prayer for grace to execute that resolu-
tion. Lord, we " will keep thy statutes ;" for love can do all things,
when thou hast shed it abroad in our hearts. " Love worketh no
ill ;" therefore love is " the fulfilling of the law," Rom. xiii. 10 ; and
mercy will accept what grace enableth us to perform. Be thou,
therefore, ever with us, and " forsake us not ;" or if, at any time, to
try our faith and to exercise our patience, thou shouldest depart from
us, and leave us to ourselves for a time, short be thy absence, and
speedy thy return : " O forsake us not utterly !"
BETH.— PART II.
9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed
thereto according to thy word.
Youth enters upon the journey of life, headstrong and inexpe-
rienced, with a bias of original corruption, and all the passions
awake. In such circumstances, how shall a young man direct his
steps, so as to " escape the pollution that is in the world through
lust ?" 2 Pet. i. 4. He must, for this purpose, take wdth him the
directions to be found in the Scriptures of truth. " I have written
unto you young men," says the beloved disciple, " because ye are
strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome
the wicked one." He w^ho became man for our salvation, passed
through this state of youth undefiled, that he might, as it were, re-
claim and consecrate it anew to God. Let every young man often
meditate on this circumstance.
428 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
10. With my whole heart have I sought thee : O let me not wander from
thy commandments.
Despairing of sufficient assistance from any other quarter, because
no one else carf either show us the way to heaven, or enable ns to
walk therein, even if it could be shown, " with our whole heart have
we sought thee," O God, thy direction, and thine aid ; and thou
hast promised, that they who " seek shall find." Like sheep with-
out a shepherd are we given to stray ; O preserve us from error in
principle, and in practice ; let us not wander from thy " command-
ments."
11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that 1 might not sin against thee.
The young man who would cleanse his way, and take heed ac-
cording to God's word, must " lay up that word in his heart ;" for
from the heart are the " issues of hfe," the thoughts, the words, and
the actions ; when God ruleth in the heart by his word and Spirit,
these become his subjects ; then " the kingdom of heaven is within
us," and all is obedience, peace, and love. Thou art our King, O
Lord Jesu ; suffer no usurper to possess thy place in our affections ;
permit no other Lord to have dominion over us.
12. Blessed art thou, O Lord : teach Trie thy statutes
He who is " blessed" can make us so : he who delighteth to com-
municate "blessing," will do it, if we ask him by " teaching us his
statutes," which conform us to his nature, that we may live his life,
and bless his name for ever. When the word of God is our lesson,
the Spirit of God must be our Master.
13. With my lips have /declared all the judgments of thy mouth,
The best sign that God hath " taught us his statutes," and the
greatest inducement to him to teach us still more and more, is a
readiness to make others partakers of those blessings which we our-
selves have received from him. Jehovah fashions the " lips" of man,
and he expects that they should be employed in his service. " Out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," and the stream
will always show the nature of the fountain. When we make the
Scriptures the subject of our conversation, we glorify God, we edify
our neighbours, and we improve ourselves.
14. Ihav^ejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
Truth and holiness afford to the sincere believer a pleasure more
exquisite, as well as more solid and enduring, than that which a
miser feels at the acquisition of his darling wealth. Let us no longer
envy the joys of worldly men, no longer be chagrined at the pros-
perity of the wicked. The " true riches" we may always acquire ;
and, surely, as much as the heaven is higher than the earth, so
much are heavenly joys above earthly, in kind, degree, and duration.
15. / imll meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
Meditation is that exercise of the mind, whereby it recalls a known
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 429
truth, as some kinds of creatures do their food, to be ruminated upon,
until all the nutritious parts are extracted, and fitted for the purposes
of life. By study we lay in knowledge, by meditation we reduce
that knowledge to practice. And we have then duly " meditated on
God's precepts," when in all our proceedings we "have respect unto
his ways," comparing our actions with the rule of his word.
16. / vnll delight myself in thy statutes : I will not forget thy word.
By frequent meditation and continual practice, the divine "stat-
utes" will become our " delight ;" and from the pleasures, as well as
from the cares of the world, we shall gladly fly to them for recrea-
tion and comfort. Of holy exercises there is great variety, and
spiritual joys are without number. Lord, make us to " delight our-
selves in thy statutes," and when we delight in what we learn, we
shall easily retain it in memory ; " we shall not forget thy word."
GIMEL.— PART III.
17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that / may live and keep thy word.
In the foregoing parts of the Psalm, we have heard the believer
declaring the excellency of God's word, and expressing both his
desire and his resolution to observe its directions. He now beseech-
eth God to remove all impediments, and to accomplish this work in
him. And as a man must " live," in order to " work," the first peti-
tion is, that God would " deal with his servant" according to the
measures of grace and mercy, enabhng him to " live" the life of
faith, and strengthening him by the Spirit of might in the inner
man, to " keep the word" of truth, and to walk in the command-
ments of his blessed Master all his days.
18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
So far are we naturally from being able to " keep" the word, that
we are not able to understand it. The law of God is full of divine
and spiritual truths, concealed under literal histories, visible signs,
and external ceremonies. To discern these, n^xpta, " wondrous,"
because the hidden, mysterious " things," our " eyes," the eyes of
our understanding, must be " unveiled ;" that " veil" must be taken
off, which St. Paul affirmeth to be upon the hearts of the Jews, " in
reading the Old Testament," and which will continue there until
they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the veil will be taken
away, and they will behold him, and the redemption by him, as
prefigured in their law, and foretold by their prophets.* Pride, prej-
udice, and interest will compose a veil, through which a Christian
shall see as httle of the New Testament as a Jew doth of the Old.
Lord, convince us of our blindness, and restore us to our sight.
\ * " Revela oculos meos :" aperi, dispelle umbras, toUe velanientum, quo spirituales
oculi conteguntur. " Considerabo mirabilia:" ut pcnitus introspiciam, non literam tan-
ttitn, ac velut corticem legis, sed arcana spiritualia, puta in saboatis requiem sempi-
temam, siniplicitatem in azymis, in victimis obedientiara, et ubique Christum. — Bossuet,
430 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
19. /am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.
The above request for divine illumination is enforced by this argu-
ment, that the petitioner is a " stranger," and a sojourner upon " the
earth ;" he is travelling through a foreign country, to his native
city, where are his kindred, his treasure, and his heart : as a
sojourner, he hath renounced the world, which is therefore become
his enemy ; as a stranger, he is fearful of losing his way ; on these
accounts he requesteth that God would compensate the loss of
earthly comforts, by affording the light of heaven ; that he would
not " hide his commandments," but show and teach him those
steps, by which he may ascend towards heaven, rejoicing in hopfe
of future glory
20. My soul hreakethfor the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all
times.
Another argument here urged, is that " longing" desire which the
soul hath, during her state of pilgrimage below, unto the revelation
of God's will. Grieved and vexed at the prospect of sin, vanity,
and folly, and finding nothing below that will satisfy the desires of
an immortal spirit, she setteth her affections on the better things
above, which are proposed in the Scriptures as the proper objects of
our wishes. Her appetite for the divine word is keen, as that of
hunger or thirst, and " hope deferred maketh the heart sick." This
disposition is not a transient fit, but it is constant and uniform at all
times.
21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy
com mandmenis.
The consideration of the wretched condition of impenitent sin-
ners, is another reason why we entreat God to set and to keep us in
the way of his commandments. "Pride" produceth "error," and
obstinacy in that error ; obstinate transgressors reject the call, the
covenant, and the terms of the gospel ; to such the " curse" of the
law is ratified and sealed, and mercy consigns them over to justice,
which seldom fails to give them some " rebukes" even in this world,
for a foretaste to them and a warning to others.
22. Remove from me reproach and contempt ; for I have kept thy testi-
monies.
" Reproach and contempt" are liberally bestowed by the world upon
men who, being not of it, reprove its deeds by their exemplary con-
duct. These, to beginners more especially, are sore lets and hinder-
ances in the way of duty; and, after the example of David, we
may beseech God to " remove" them from us, when we suffer them
in his cause, and know ourselves to be innocent of the crimes laid to
our charge. In the meantime, to comfort ourselves under them, let
us remember, that he who alone, in the strict and unHmited sense of
tlie words, could say, " I have kept thy testimonies," sustained the
utmost degree of " reproach and contempt" for our sakes, and was
patient and resigned under it all, until God " removed" it from him
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 431
by a glorious resurrection. There remaineth likewise a resurrection
for the mystical body of Christ ; and then, '• Wisdom will be justi-
fied of all her children."
23. Princes also did sit and speak against me : but thy servant did medi-
tate in thy statutes.
" Princes" and rulers have often " sate" in council upon the " ser-
vants" of God, and " spoken," in judgment, false things " against
them," as they did against their blessed Master in the days of his
flesh. David hath taught us how to act in such circumstances.
We are not to renounce the creed, or the commandments, should it
so happen that " the rulers and the Pharisees" neither believe the
former, nor observe the latter ; but rather, we should " meditate,"
more than ever, in the Scriptures ; that we may draw from thence
comfort in the troubles, and direction in the difficulties which perse-
cution bringeth upon us ; always bearing in mind, when princes
command any thing contrary to the word of God, that our service is
due to a higher Master ; " thy servant did meditate in thy statutes."
24. TTiy testimonies also are my delight^ and my counsellors.
Pleasure and wisdom, as the world hath ordered matters, are al-
most incompatible ; insomuch that Solomon, relating the experience
he had had of voluptuousness, mentions it as a thing out of the or-
dinary course, that " his wisdom" all the time " remained with him."
Eccles. ii. 9. But they who meditate in the word of God, find a
pleasure which hath wisdom for its inseparable companion. Their
sorrow is dispelled, and their doubts are resolved. For how can he
be sorrowful, who sits by the fountain of joy 7 How can he be long
in doubt, who hath the prophets and apostles for his counsellors ?
DALETH.— PART IV.
25. My soul cleaveth to the dust : quicken thou me according to thy word.
The Psalmist, in a state of affliction and humiliation, still seeketh
relief, by prayer, from the Scriptures. His circumstances vary, but
his affection to the word of God continueth the same. Every one,
whose affections are set on things below, hath reason to exclaim with
David, '• My soul cleaveth to the dust." From this kind of death
we are "quickened," or made alive, by the gospel, through that
same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead, and which shall raise
us also at the last day. Then soul and body, perfected together,
shall take their final farewell of earth, and ascend to heaven, where
the soul shall feel no passion but the love of God, and the body shall
have no employment but to express it.
26. / have declared my ways, and thou heardest me ; teach mc thy stattdes.
We should freely and ingenuously " declare" to God in prayer for
our sins, our temptations, our sorrows, and our undertakings ; it ar-
gues love, confidence, and sincerity so to do ; it is a means of ac-
quainting us with our own state, of which generally we are ignorant ;
432 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and it will not fail to procure us those aids from above, of which we
stand in need. God will " hear" us ; he will pardon our offences,
strengthen us in our trials, dispel our grief, and prosper the work of
our hands upon us. These mercies, when received, should incline
us to walk worthy of them, and, for that purpose, to beg the further
instruction and direction of the divine Spirit ; " I have declared my
ways, and thou heardest me — teach me thy statutes."
27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts j so shall I talk, or,
meditate, of thy wondrous works, or, thy mysteries.
The heart of the troubled Psalmist is intent upon duty, and the
deliverance which he chiefly requesteth is that from ignorance and
error. True knowledge cometh from God, and it cannot be too often
desired of him. It is pleasant as the light, extensive as the heavens,
and more profitable than the treasures of eastern kings. He who
is led to "understand" the celestial "mysteries" of the Scriptures,
will never want subjects for " meditation," and should never permit
those subjects either to slip out of his mind, or to lie unimproved
in it.
28. My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according to thy
word.
Let us not marvel, if sin bring us to the knowledge of sorrow,
since he who " knew no sin," was yet, on our account, so intimately
" acquainted with grief" In the garden, his soul " melted for heav-
iness," and there appeared an angel from heaven " strengthening
him." Luke xxii. 43. Our transgressions deserve an eternity of
sorrow ; let us not, therefore, repine at any part of it that may fall to
our share in time. No, blessed Jesu ! let us suffer with thee, as both
a means and a pledge of our future glorification with thee. Only
"strengthen us, according to" the promises in "thy word." In this
life, all we ask is faith and patience ; faith, to assure us that thou
orderest all things for the best ; and patience, to presesve that faith.
These were the provisions with which thy best-beloved servants of
old travelled through this mortal life. Enable us, upon whom the
ends of the world are come, to do the same ; that so, when the days
of our earthly pilgrimage shall be happily accomplished, we may
sit down, with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in thy heavenly
kingdom.
29. Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
30. I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
It is plain that " the way of truth," in the latter of these two verses,
is opposed to " the way of lying," or of falsehood, in the former. The
one comprehends every thing in doctrine and practice that is right,
and therefore " true ;" the other denotes every thing which is wrong,
and therefore " false." Of these two ways man hath his choice.
God points out to him the former by his word, and offers to conduct
him in it by his Spirit. Satan shov*^s him the latter, and endeavours
to seduce him into it by his temptations. The Psalmist declareth
himself to have " chosen " God's way, and to have " laid " the Scrip-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
43^
tures " before him," as the chart by which he was to direct his course.
He therefore prays that the other way may be far " removed " from
him ; and that God would vouchsafe him such a thorough acquaint-
ance with the "way" of truth, as might prevent him from ever
wandering into the path of error. How much depends upon the
road we choose ! How difficult is it, in a divided and distracted
world, to choose aright ! Yet this choice, so important, so difficult,
frequently remains to be made by us, when we have neither judg-
ment to choose nor strength to travel !
31. / have stuck unto thy testimonies : O Lord, put me not to shame.
Having once chosen our road, it remains that we persevere in it ;
since better had it been for us never to have known the way of truth,
than to forsake it, when known ; and we have the same reasons to
go on, which induced us to begin ; nay, though the love of the world
may require novelty and variety to support it, yet, in the blessed
union of the soul with its Redeemer, true affection will increase with
time and acquaintance. The Psalmist doth not only say, " I have
followed," but "I have stuck unto, thy testimonies;" I have ad-
hered so closely and firmly to them, that temptation has in vain
essayed to allure, and persecution has vainly attempted to force me
from them. And therefore he beseecheth God so to continue his
grace and favour, that he may never, by falling from his steadfast-
ness, disgrace his Master, his cause, his brethren, himself, nor be put
to shame at the last day. " O Lord, put me not to shame !"
32. 1 will iiin the way of thy commandments^ when thou shaU enlarge my
hearts
The true Chjistian is always proceeding in the way of godhness,
though not always with equal pace. In grief, whether for temporal
or spiritual losses, the heart is contracted, and the spirits are all sum-
moned home to comfort and support it, so that the faculties are left
feeble and sluggish ; and then the progress can be but slow. This
was the Psalmist's case. But even then he promises, that, when
God, by sending him joy and gladness, should " enlarge his heart,"
dilate his spirits, and put life and strength into his actions, he would
quicken his pace in proportion, and, with renewed vigour and alac-
rity, "run the way" of the divine "commandments," until it should
have brought him to rest and felicity in the bosom of God.
TWENTY-FIFTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
HE.— PART V.
33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the
^nd.
Instruction from above is necessary for the children of God, while
they continue in this world. The more we know, the more we shall
ilesire to know * we shall beg a daily supply of grace, as well as of
65
434 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
bread ; and a taste of the cluster of Eschol will make us long after '
the vintage of Canaan : Numb. xiii. 23. Religion is the art of holy-
living, and then only known when it is practised ; as he is not a-
master of music who can read the notes which compose it, but he
who has learned how to take a lesson readily from the book, and
play it on his instrument ; after which, the pleasure it affords will
be a sufficient motive for continuing so to do. " Teach me, O Lord^
the way of thy statutes ; and I shall keep it unto the end."
34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe
it with my whole heart.
•
Much "understanding" is needful in order to the "observation" of
the law, that we may know what is commanded, and what is for-
bidden, and how far ; that we may avoid the snares laid for us in
the way of duty ; that we may respect things according to their due-
rank and worth ; that we may do good works in their proper time,
place, and manner ; above all, that the affections may be directed by
the judgment, and not the judgment by the affections. The law
cannot be observed, unless it be understood ; and it is understood in
vain, unless it be observed ; or rather, if it be indeed understood, if
there be upon the mind, at all times, a full conviction of divine truths,,
and their excellency, not only in themselves, but compared with the
offers of the world, the flesh, and the devil, then it will certainly oper-
ate in hearty obedience. " Give me understanding, and I shall keep
thy law ; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."
35. Make me to go, or, conduct me, in the path of thy commandments ; for
therein do I delight.
He who teacheth us the way to heaven must also "conduct" us
in it, and the same grace must give light and strength. The Scrip-
ture is our rule, the Spirit is our guide ; and, from beginning to end,
it is God who inclines, prepares, and enables us " to go in the" clears
and pleasant "path of his commandments ;" a path which leads us
far from the noise and pollution of the world, throHgh a paradise of
promises and comforts, grateful as the fragrance of early spring, or
the incense ascending from the holy altar. Happy the soul that can-
say to God, " therein do I delight :" which is, at the same time, a
reason for her to ask, and for him to grant, a continuance and per-
severance therein.
36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetov^ness.
The wit of man may conceive, and his tongue may utter, great
things of God and holiness, while his heart is averse from both ;
therefore David saith, not only " give me understanding," but " in-
cline my heart." Our true characters are formed by the desires of
our hearts, which, not finding satisfaction in themselves, must seek
it in something without them. The world offers itself first ; and
custom, as well as nature, inclineth us to the love of that, and of
money, which commandeth all things in it. Such love is contrary,
to the love of God, being one of the thorns which choke the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 435
and render it unfruitful. Therefore the Psalmist requesteth, that
his heart may be " inclined to the divine testimonies, and not to
covetousness." And as God only can change the disposition of the
heart, to God he preferreth his petition. It is to be observed, that by
the words, " Inchne not my heart to covetousness," is meant, " suffer
not my heart to be inchned," or, " give it not over to covetousness."
37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ; and quicken thou me in
thy way.
" Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ;" and what is
there else on earth to behold ? What is there which, when possessed^
doth not disappoint the expectation conceived of it, the possessors
themselves being judges ? Solomon took an inventory of the world,
and all the best things in it ; he cast up the account, and the sum
total was vanity. The " eye" is the grand inlet of temptation, and
by " beholding," we come to desire and long after, the objects of
sense ; from which time our affection towards the objects of faith
waxeth cold. " Turn away" our " eyes," therefore, O Lord, " from
beholding vanity, and quicken us in thy way ;" mortify the fleshy
and the spirit shall live.
.S8. Siablish thy word unto thy servant^ who is devoted to thy fear.
The "word" here intended is the word of promise, which the be-
liever entreateth God to " stablish," confirm, or accomplish, to him by
his sanctification, that so he may walk in the way of truth and hfe.
He pleadeth his title to the promise, as a " servant" of God, and one
who " feared" to offend him.
39. Turn away my reproach which I fear : for thy judgments are good.
The " reproach" which we have all most reason to dread, and to
pray that God would keep far from us here and hereafter, is that of
having forsaken and apostatized from those statutes and "judg-
ments" revealed in the Scriptures, which we own to be so " good,"
so pleasant, and so profitable.
40. Behold^ I have longed after thy precepts : quicken me in thy righteous-
ness.
The Psalmist appealeth to God, the searcher of hearts, for the
truth of the protestation he was about to make, that the desire of
his soul was toward the divine word ; not only toward the promises,
to believe and embrace them, but also toward the "precepts," to
observe and to do them. He therefore prayeth. with confidence,
that God would finish the work he had begun, and enable him to
carry his wishes into execution, by continually "quickening" and
enlivening- him more and more through grace, to finish his course
in " righteeusness," and to obtain that crown which is to be the
reward of it.
43B A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
VAU.— PART VI.
41. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord ; even thy salvation, accord-
ing to thy word.
Persecution and affliction, of which they never fail, in some way
or other, to have their share who hve godly in Christ Jesus, should
teach us, like David, to fly for refuge to that " mercy" from whence
proceedeth all " salvation," temporal and eternal ; and to pray, with-
out ceasing, for the accomplishment of that " word," which promiseth
to the people of God deliverance out of all their troubles.
42. So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me : for I
trust in thy word
A beUever, trusting in the promises of God, when the whole world
hath forsaken him, and no sign or probability appears of their being
fulfilled, is always, among the wicked, an object of scorn and " re-
proach." Such was David when Shimei cursed him. Such was
our blessed Master, when men said, "He trusted in God that he
would deliver him, let him deliver him now if he will have him."
And his disciples are not to expect better usage. " Therefore," saith
one of them, " we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust
in the Uving God :" 1 Tim. iv. 10. To silence these reproaches, we
beseech God to manifest his mercy in our salvation. The resurrec-
tion of Jesus was an " answer" to his blasphemers ; and the mouth
of all wickedness will be stopped at the last day.
43. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth j for I have
hoped in thy judgments.
In the meantime, while affliction presseth hard upon us, while our
deliverance is deferred, and the enemy is suffered to reproach and
blasphenae, our prayer must be, that God would give us courage and
utterance, still to confess him before men, and boldly to speak his
" word of truth," for the edification of some, and the confutation of
others ; as knowing that our faith is not vain, nor shall we be dis-
appointed of our "hope," since both are built upon the "judgments,"
or revealed decrees, of him who can neither err nor deeeive.
44. So shall I keep thy law continually, for ever and ever.
By means of strength and power from above, we shall be enabled
to serve God, in adversity as well as in prosperity : and amidst all
difficulties and dangers, into which the path of duty may lead us,
charity will persevere in it, till, arriving at the gate of heaven, and
there taking leave of her companions and fellow-travellers, faith and
hope, she shall enter those blissful regions, to perform to eternity that
perfect will of God, which the infirmities of fallen nature prevented
her from having so fully performed here below.
45. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts.
No external pressure can take away that spiritual " liberty,"
which the faithful Christian experienceth when he hath made an
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 437
open confession of the truth, and determined at all events to do his
duty. Then he is no longer straitened by fear, but set at large
by love. " The truth maketh him free, and he walketh in the liberty
of the children of God," a liberty which they only obtain " who seek
his precepts," and, by the performance of them, are rescued from the
bondage both of tyrannical desires and slavish fears.
46. / will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be
ashamed.
A prophet may be called " before kings," either in the course of
his office, to instruct them, or else in a judiciary way, to give an ac-
count of his faith. In either case, if he '' walketh at liberty, he will
speak of God's testimonies," with due reverence to the person and
authority of his prince, but as one who is neither afraid nor
" ashamed" to declare the whole counsel of heaven to any being
upon earth.
47. And 1 will delight myself in thy commandments^ which 1 have loved.
48. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved :
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
He who would preach boldly to others, must himself " delight "
in the practice of what he preacheth. If there be in us a new
nature, it will " love the commandments of God," as being conge-
nial to it : on that which we love, we shall continually be " medi-
tating ;" and our meditation will end in action ; we shall " lift up
the hands which hang down," Heb. xii. 12, that they may " work
the works of God, while it is day ; because the night cometh, when
no man can work." John, ix. 4.
ZAIN.— PART VII.
49. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me
to hope.
God promiseth salvation before he giveth it, to excite our desire of
it, to exercise our faith, to prove our sincerity, to perfect our patience.
For these purposes he seemeth to have sometimes forgotten his word,
and to have deserted those whom he hath engaged to succour and
relieve ; in which case he would have us, as it were, to remind him
of his promise, and solicit his performance of it. The Psalmist here
instructeth us to prefer our petition upon these grounds; first, that
God cannot prove false to his own word ; " Remember the word
unto thy servant :" secondly, that he will never disappoint an expec-
tation which himself hath raised ; " upon which thou hath caused
me to hope."
50. This is my comfort in my affliction : for thy word hath quickened me.
While performance is delayed, we " rejoice in hope ;" Rom. xii.
12 ; and the promise is our "comfort in affliction ;" a comfort divine,
strong, lasting ; a comfort that will not, hke all others, fail us when
we most want it, in the day of sickness, and at the hour of death ;
438 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS
but will always keep pace with our necessities, increasing in propor-
tion as the pleasures of the world and the flesh decrease in us, and
then becoming complete, when they are no more. So powerful is
the word of God to revive us, when dead, either in sins or in sorrow :
"thy word hath quickened me."
51. The proud have had me greatly in derision : yet have 1 not declined
from thy law.
A true servant of God believeth the promises, and practiseth the
precepts of his blessed Master. The haughty infidel will scoff at
him for one part of his conduct; the insolent worldling will ridicule
him for the other ; but neither will induce him to disbeheve, or to
disobey. Let us l3e certain that we have the divine " law" for our
warrant in what we believe, and in what we do ; and then, let not
the "derision of the proud" prevail upon us to "decline from it."
52. / remernbered thy judgments of old, O Lord ; and have comforted my-
self
The great remedy against that temptation which ariseth from the
reproaches of our scornful and insulting adversaries, is here pre-
scribed, namely, a "remembrance of God's judgments of old,"
whether we understand the "judgments" of his mouth, or those of
his hand ; his righteous decrees for the punishment of bad, and re-
ward of good men, or the many and wonderful instances of his ex-
ecuting those decrees, from the beginning of the world, recorded in
the sacred history. These are sources of real and endless " comfort"
upon such occasions ; because nothing can happen to us which hath
not happened to God's people " of old ;" no case, of which there is
not a precedent in Scripture, where we may read the process of simi-
lar trials, their issue, and the final sentence of the judge, who is still
the same, and whose rule of procedure and determination is in-
variable.
53. Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake
thy law.
The consequence of a due meditation on God's judgments, will be
a compassion for the "wicked," on whom those judgments, in the
end, fall ; so that instead of feeling for ourselves, on account of the
injuries they do us, we shall feel for them, who are thereby drawing
down vengeance and destruction on their own heads. " Daughters
of Jerusalem," said the blessed Jesus, when led to be crucified,
" weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children."
Luke, xxiii. 28.
54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
The soul, which descended from above, and longs to return thith-
er again, is a stranger and sojourner upon earth. The body is
" the house of her pilgrimage," in which she is confined during her
state of exile. And, how harsh soever the usage may be which she
receiveth from the world, she ever findeth joy and comfort, as once
did the fugitive and wandering son of Jesse, in making God's " stat-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 4S$
"tites" the subjects of her psalms, and hymns, and spiritual " songs,"
until death shall restore her to liberty. Then, ascending to heaven
from whence she came, and, like the early lark, singing as she as-
cends, she will seek her native abode, there to celebrate her redemption
from the earth, and to chant forth the praises of Him who hath re-
deemed her, in a new song, before the throne.
55. / have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept
thy law.
By the " name" of God, his nature, so much at least of it as we
are concerned to know, and are capable of receiving, is revealed to
us. Such a love had the Psalmist for it on that account, that, as in
the day God's statutes were his songs, in the night God's name was
the subject of his meditation. With his tongue he praised him in
the day, with his heart he desired him in the night watches. At
night the dissipation, noise, and hurry of business cease ; external
silence produceth internal calmness and composure, inviting us to
celestial contemplation ; the world is dead to us, and we are dead to
the world ; the soul is then most alive, and seemeth to experience a
foretaste of that time when the body and its concerns shall no more
molest and impede her. The good effect of hours thus secretly
passed in holy exercises, will appear openly in our lives and conver-
sations : " I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and,"
as the fruit of it, " have kept thy law."
56. This I had, because I kept thy commandments.
As one sin is often the consequence and the punishment of an-
other, so one act of obedience is the issue and the reward of another ;
and to him who hath well used the grace already received, shall
more be given. " This I had," this ability to perform my duty, and
to delight in the performance of it day and night, was vouchsafed
unto me " because I kept thy commandments," because I was not
heretofore disobedient, but employed the strength with which thou,
O Lord, hast endued me, not in doing mine own will, but thine.
CHETH.— PART VIII.
57. Thou art my portion, O Lord : / have said that I would keep thy
words.
Happy the man, who can sincerely say, " Thou art my portion,
O Lord ;" I have considered, and made my choice ; from hence-
forth, I renounce all things for the love of thee ; thou art sufficient
for me ; thee only I desire to enjoy, and, therefore, thee only I desire
to please ; " I have said that I would keep thy words."
58. I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me, ac-
cording to thy word.
He who hath chosen God for " his portion," will earnestly seek
his " favour," and the light of his countenance ; he who hath prom-
ised and vowed to " keep the words" of God, hath need to seek
440 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
that favour and that Hght, that he may have grace and power to*
fulfil his engagements. Mercy is the sole fountain of every good
gift for which we ask, and God's promise the only ground upon
which we ask it : " be merciful unto me, according to thy word."
59. / thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
The Psalmist did not content himself with barely praying for
strength and grace, but his faith, relying on the word of promise,
put itself in motion. He considered his " ways," his course of think-
ing, speaking, and acting ; how far he had proceeded in it, and
whither it led him ; and this consideration produced a conversion
of the whole man, of the heart and its affections, from the creature
to the Creator, as he hath revealed himself in the Scriptures of truth :
" 1 turned my feet unto thy testimonies."
60. / made haste, and delayed not to. keep thy commandments.
A true penitent suffereth no time to be lost between his good reso-
lutions and the performance of them. " Draw me," saith the church,
" and we will run after thee." Cant. i. 4. Andrew, Peter, and others,
stayed not for a second call from Christ, but followed him immediate-
ly upon the first. By deferring our return to duty, we lose many
comfortable fruits, which it would have produced both in ourselves
and others, while the difficulties of ever returning, and the danger
of never returning, are daily and hourly increasing.
61. The bands, or, troops, of the ungodly have robbed me; but I have not
forgotten thy law.
To be robbed or plundered of his possessions in this world was by
no means a case peculiar to David. The primitive Christians were
continually so treated ; and our Lord gives all his disciples warning
to stand prepared for such events, ready in disposition, in heart and
mind, to quit all, as they who first followed him literally did. The
apostle tells us of some, who not only bore patiently, but even " took
joyfully, the spoiling of their goods :" the reason he assigns for so
extraordinary a behaviour deserves to be noted and remembered ;
" knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring sub-
stance." Heb. X. 34. They who part with earth to gain heaven,
and exchange the world for its Maker, certainly lose nothing by the-
bargain. Nay, there will come an hour, when, for that foretaste of
glory which a good conscience affordeth to its happy possessor, the
dearest lover of mammon would joyfully give up all the gold of Peru,,
and all the diamonds of Indostan.
62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righte-
ous judgments.
So far were temporal losses from causing the Psalmist to forsake
God, that he sought him the more earnestly and fervently on that
account, rising " at midnight to give thanks" for all his '• righteous
judgments" and dispensations towards his servants. Thus Paul
and Silas, not only impoverished, but imprisoned, for the testimony
of Jesus, yet in that situation, with their feet fast in the stocks, sang
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS- 441
" praises at midnight," thereby turning their night into day, and
their prison into a paradise ; when, lo, their hallelujahs ascended to
heaven, and God arose to judgment ; the earth trembled, the doors
were opened, the chains fell off, the gaoler and his family were con-
verted, and the apostles set at liberty. And although there be no
obligation upon men to " rise at midnight,-' in order to " give thanks ;"
yet, if they who awake at that, or any other time, would accustom
their hearts, at least, to so divine an exercise, they would find it al-
ways productive of the most comfortable effects.
G3. I am a companion of all them that fear tjiecj and of them that keep
thy precepts.
As no sufferings should make us neglect our intercourse with
God, so neither should they tempt us to forsake the communion of
saints, or fellowship of them who " fear God, and work righteous-
ness." These are knit together in love, as members of the same
mystical body, insomuch that " if one member suffer, or be honoured,
all the members should suffer, or be honoured with it ;" these we
should own at all times, in prosperity and in adversity ; with these
should our acquaintance and conversation be, for the mutual im-
provement and consolation of them and of ourselves. Of such w^as
David a " companion," and such the Redeemer himself " is not
ashamed to call brethren." Heb. ii. 11.
64. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy : teach me thy statutes.
Heaven and earth, and all that are therein, declare, from day to
day, the " mercy" of their Creator and Preserver, which is " over all
his works." And his goodness thus displayed through the outward
and visible world, forbids us to doubt of his loving kindness towards
those immortal spirits, w^hich, in tenements of mortal clay, make, for
a while, their abode here below ; during w^hich short period, they
beseech him earnestly to grant them such a portion of that saving
knowledge, which is his gift, as may secure to them, when they
shall depart hence, a place in a happier country, and a more endu-
ring city. " Teach me thy statutes !"
TETH.— PART IX.
65. TVwu hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word.
As the sense of our wants should prepare the mind for prayer, so
gratitude for blessings received should tune the heart to praise. In
preferring our petitions, self-love may sometimes have a share ; but
thankfulness is the offspring of an ingenuous spirit, and the love of
God. Let a man carefully recount the divine mercies shown to him
from his birth, considering withal how unworthy he hath been of
tlie least of those mercies, as also how far preferable his state is to
that of many others, and he will find reason '• in all things to give
thanks," to acknowledge, with David, the goodness and truth of Je-
hovah, and to say, " Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord,
according to thy word."
56
440
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge; for I have believed thy
mandments.
From thanksgiving, the Psahiiist returneth again to prayer, as,
while we continue in this world, we must all do. The gift for
which he now prayeth, is that of "a good judgment with knowl-
edge ;" as the former must enable us to make a proper use of the
latter. The word o?©, which is here translated "judgment," signi-
fies bodily " taste," and that faculty in the mind which answers to it,
the faculty of discerning, distinguishing, and judging rightly of
things moral and spiritual, as the palate doth of meats, their differ-
ent flavours and qualities. Without this taste or discretion, we mis-
take falsehood for truth in our studies, and wrong for right in our
practice ; superstition and enthusiasm may pass with us for religion,
or else hcentiousness may intrude itself upon us, under the name
and notion of liberty : in a word, our learning and knowledge prove
useless, if not prejudicial, to us. A sound mind therefore should,
above all things, be desired of God in our prayers ; and those pray-
ers will be heard, when we can sincerely profess a readiness to be di-
rected by God's laws, through faith in their author, his promises
and threatenings ; on which ground David urgeth his request; "for
I have believed thy commandments.-'
67. Before I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
We collect from this verse, that prosperity is too often the parent
of sin ; that adversity is, first, its punishment, then its remedy ; and
that every considerate man, who hath been afflicted, will thankfully
acknowledge as much. " When afflictions fail to have their due ef-
fect, the case is desperate. They are the last remedy which indul-
gent Providence uses ; and if they fail, we must languish and die
in misery and contempt. Vain men ! how seldom do we know
what to wish or to pray for ! When we pray against misfortunes,
-and when we fear them most, we want them most. The shortest
and the best prayer which we can address to Him who knows our
wants, and our ignorance in asking, is this — Thy will be done."
Lord Bolingbroke's Reflections on Exile, p. 276.
68. Thou art good, and doest good : teach me thy statutes.
In other words, as Bishop Patrick hath well connected and para-
phrased it, " Thou art in thine own nature kind and good ; and
nothing else can proceed from thee, who designest our good, even
when thou afflictest us ; take what methods thou pleasest with me,
only teach me effectually to do as thou wouldst have me."
69. The -proud have fcyrged a lie against me: hui I will keep thy precepts
with my whole heart.
Every disciple of Christ, who, like his Master, goeth contrary to
the ways of the world, and condemneth them, must expect to be,
like that Master, slandered and calumniated by the world. To such
slanders and calumnies, a good life is the best answer. When a
iriend once told Plato, what scandalous stories his enemies had prop-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 443
agated concerning him, " I will live so," replied that great philoso-
pher, " that nobody shall believe them."
70. Their heart is as fat as grease ; but / delight in thy law.
" The fatness of the heart" implieth, in this place, two things in
those of whom it is affirmed ; luxury, and its consequence, insensi-
bility to those spiritual and divine truths, which are not only the
study, but the " delight," of temperate and holy persons, who gladly
fly from large companies, full tables, costly meats, and rich wines,
to enjoy in private the more exalted pleasures of abstinence, medi-
tation, and prayer.
71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn thy
statutes.
God's statutes are best learned in the school of affliction, because
by affliction the great impediments to our learning them are re-
moved ; pride is subdued, and concupiscence is extinguished. "He
that hath suffered in the flesh," saith an apostle, " hath ceased from
sin ;" 1 Pet. iv. 1 ; and in an immunity from sin consisteth one of
the greatest felicities of heaven, which thus descends into the afflicted
soul, so as to render even the state of sickness itself, in some sort,
desirable. Strange as this proposition may appear, the reader will
find its truth demonstrated, by the inimitable bishop Jeremy Taylor,
in that truly golden tract. The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying,
chap. iii. sect. 6, on The Advantages of Sickness.
72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and
silver.
Affliction taketh from us the inclination to offend, and it giveth
us, in return, a knowledge of that law which " is better," and which,
when we are thoroughly acquainted with it, we shall esteem to be
better, " than thousands of gold and silver ;" better in its nature, for
it is from heaven, they are from the earth ; better in its use, for it
bringeth salvation to our souls, whereas they can only procure sus-
tenance for the body ; better in point of duration, for the benefits of
one are certain and eternal, the advantages of the olhers temporal
and uncertain. Blessed are they who seek in the Scriptures the true
riches ; who traffic for the spiritual gains of celestial wisdom ; for
surely " the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of
silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." Prov. iii. 14.
TWENTY-FIFTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
JOD.— PART X.
73. Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me ; give me understanding^
that I may learn thy commandments.
The formation of man was the last and noblest work of God, and
it is a standing miracle of divine wisdom and power. The con-
4li^ A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
sideration that God made us, is here urged as an argument why he
should not forsake and reject us, since every artist hath a value for
his own work, proportioned to its excellence. It is, at the same time,
an acknowledgment of the service we owe him, founded on the
relation which a creature beareth to his Creator. And the petition
implieth in it a confession of our present inability to know his will
without his revelation, and to do it without his grace.
74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me ; because J have
hoped in thy word.
They who " fear God" are naturally " glad when they see" and
converse with one like themselves ; but more especially so, when it
is one whose faith and patience have carried him through troubles,
and rendered him victorious over temptations ; one who hath
" hoped in God's word," and hath not been disappointed. Every
such instance affordeth fresh encouragement to all those who, in the
course of their warfare, are to undergo like troubles, and to encounter
like temptations. In all our trials, let us therefore remember that
our brethren, as well as ourselves, are deeply interested in the event,
which may either strengthen or weaken the hands of multitudes.
75. 1 knmo, O Lord, that thy judgments are right^ and that thou in faithful'
ness hast afflicted me.
This humble, pious, and dutiful confession will be made by every
true child of God, when under the correction of his heavenly Father.
From whatever quarter afflictions come upon us, they are "the
judgments of God," without whose providence nothing befalleth us.
His judgments are always " right or just," duly proportioned to the
disease and strength of the patient; in sending them, God is
" faithful" and true to his word, wherein he hath never promised the
crown without the cross, but hath, on the contrary, assured us, that
one will be necessary in order to our obtaining the other ; and that
they who are beloved by him shall not sin with impunity, nor go
astray without a call to return. All this we ought to " know," or to
be assured of beyond doubt, as we may be from the many declara-
tions in Scripture, from our own experience, and from that of others.
76. Let, I pray thee, thy mercy and kindness be for my comfort, according
to thy word unto thy servant.
In the former verse the criminal, finding that the hand of God
was upon him, had owned the justice and the faithfulness of his
judge in the punishment inflicted. Judgment having thus had her
perfect work, the offender, now humbled and penitent, maketh appli-
cation to the throne of grace, and sueth for that mercy which God,
by his " word," hath promised to his servants, who are chastened,
not for their destruction, but for their salvation. When God's "judg-
ments" have brought us to an acknowledgment of our sins, his
" merciful kindness" will speedily be our "comfort."
77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live : for thy law is
my delight.
The mercies of God are " tender mercies," they are the mercies
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 448
of a father to his children, nay, tender as the compassion of a
mother over the son of her womb. They " come unto" us when we
are not able to go to them. By them alone we " live" the life of
faith, of love, of joy and gladness. And to such as "delight" in his
law, God will grant these mercies, and this life ; he will give them
pardon, and, by so doing, he will give them hfe from the dead.
78. Let the proud he ashamed^ for they dealt 'perversely with me without a
cause ; but / will meditate in thy precepts.
This complaint of the Psalmist hath been made by the faithful
in all ages, that the men of the world " dealt perversely with them
without a cause," or oppressed them falsely, first spreading slanders
and calumnies concerning them, and then persecuting them for
those supposed crimes. Such usage should have no other effect
upon us than it had upon David. He prayed that " shame" and
disappointment might teach humility to the " proud," and applied
himself still more and more to meditate in the "precepts" of his God.
79. Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy
testimonies,
David beseecheth God, if any good men had been alienated from
him, either through fear, prejudice, or offence, that they might re-
turn to him, join and acknowledge him. To thee, O thou Son of
David and King of the spiritual Israel, let those among thy people,
who, through any temptation, have fallen from their allegiance, re-
turn and be subject.
80. Let my heart he sound in thy statutes ; that I he not ashamed.
This is a prayer necessary for all men to use at all times, but
more particularly in seasons of persecution and temptation. By
" soundness of heart" is meant solidity and steadfastness in grace and
virtue, as opposed to the mere form of godliness or fair show of the
hy])ocrite, which conceal the rottenness and corruption lurking with-
in ; and also to the sudden and vanishing goodness of the tempo-
rary convert, which quickly disappears like the morning dew, and
withers like the seed sown on a rock. When internal hoHness ac-
companies and actuates that which is external, when the word is
thoroughly rooted, and faith hath acquired the sovereignty over our
desires, then our " hearts" are " sound in God's statutes," and there
is hope that, in the day of trial, we shall not give our brethren
cause to be ashamed of us, nor be ourselves " ashamed" before God.
CAPH.--PART XI.
81. My soulfainteth for thy salvation: but / hope in thy word, or, / have
expected thy word.
Thus have the true servants of God, in every age, expressed their
ardent desire of his salvation. Thus did the patriarchs, the proph-
ets, the kings, and the faithful people, formerly wish to behold the
advent of their Saviour in the flesh; until Simeon, taking him in
"446 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
his arms, spoke what they would all have spoken had they been
present, " Lord, now lettest thou thy servent depart in peace, accord-
ing to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." But the
Bridegroom was soon taken away, and the heavens have received
him, until the restitution of all things ; for which the church upon
earth at this day waiteth and prayeth ; that she may be delivered
from all her troubles, and inseparably united to him in whom she
delighteth. Every individual, when oppressed by sin and sorrow,
may make his supplication in the same words, for that salvation
which is by grace, through faith.
82. Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me ?
While the promised salvation is delayed, the afflicted soul think-
eth every day a year, and looketh toward heaven for the accomplish-
ment of God's word, saying to " her Friend and her Beloved, When
wilt thou comfort me ? Come, Lord Jesu, come quickly !"*
83. For I am become like a bottle in the smoke : yet do I not forget thy
statutes.
" Bottles" among the Jews were made of skins. One of these,
if exposed to heat and " smoke," would become shrivelled and use-
less. Such a change will labour and sorrow cause in the human
frame ; and the Psalmist here complaineth, that his beauty and his
strength were gone ; the natural moisture was dried up ; in conse-
quence of which, the skin shrivelled, and both colour and vigour de-
parted from him. Disease and old age will produce the same sad
effects in us all ; but the body's weakness is the soul's strength ; as
the outward mari decayeth, the inward man is renewed : " I do not
forget thy statutes."
84. How many are iJie days of thy servant ? When wilt thou execute judg-
ment on them that persecute me 7
The well-beloved John heard a question, of the same import with
this, asked by the spirits of the martyrs, that had left their bodies,
and were waiting, in the separate state, for the day of retribution.
The answer which was made to them, may hkevvise satisfy our im-
patience, when suffering affliction and persecution : " I saw under
the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and
for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ? And white
robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them,
* " Defecerunt oculi mei." Ambrosius : " Nonne quando aliquem desideramus et
speramus adfore, eb dirigimus oculos unde speramus esse venturum ? Sic tenerae uxor
aetatis, de specula, litorali indefessd, expectatioue conjugis praestolatur adventum : ut
quamcunque navim viderit, illic putat conjugem navigare, metuatque ne videndi gratia,
dilecti, alius antevertat, nee ipsa possit prima dicere, Video te, mi marite." Vide reliqua
apud Ambrosium, ejusdem plane spiritiis, nee tamen potui temperare, quin haec exscrU
berem. Sic afFectus est quisquis cum Paulo dissolvi cupit, et esse cum Christo. Sic
denique qui semel gustato bono Dei verbo, ut idem Paulus ait, sibi postea relictus, deficit
tedio sui, ac reddi sibi postulat prsgustatam suavissiini amoris dulcedinem. — Botsuet.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. tt7
that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants
also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should
be fulfilled." Rev. vi. 9, (fee.
85. The proud have digged pits for m-e, which are not after thy law,
^ The manner of taking wild beasts was by " digging pits," and
covering them over with turf, upon which when the beast trod, he
fell into the pit, and was there confined and taken. But there was
a " law," that if a pit were left open, and a tame beast, an ox, or an
ass, fell into it, the owners of the pit should make good the damage :
Exod. xxi. 33. Much more shall men be called to a severe account,
who purposely lay snares and stumbling-blocks before the feet of
their innocent brethren, to cause them to fall and perish.
86. All thy commandments are faithful : they persecute me wrongfully ;
help thou me.
Man is perfidious and deceitful, God is " faithful " and true ; he
hath promised to " help" those who suflfer " wrongfully," and he will,
in the end, show himself to be the avenger of all such. Let them
wait with patience, since the King of Righteousness himself suflfered
as a malefactor, before he entered into his glory.
87. T%ey had almost consumed me upon earth; hut I forsook not thy pre--
cepts.
However low the church, or any member thereof, may, by perse-
cution and tribulation, be brought upon earth, yet nothing can separ-
ate them from the love of God, while they " forsake not his precepts,"
nor disbelieve his promises. The soul, we know, must forsake the
body; but God will forsake neither.
88. Quicken me after thy loving-kindness, so shall J keep the testimony of
ihy mouth.
Through the "loving-kindncsfe" of God our Saviour, the Spirit of
life is given unto us, by whose *' quickening " influences we are re-
vived, when sunk in sins, or in sorrows, and are enabled with joy
and gladness, to persevere in keeping the testimony of his " mouth."
LAMED.— PART XII.
89. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven : or, TTiou art for ever,
O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. 90. Thy faithfulness is unto all gt-ner-
ations: thou hast established the earth, and it abidefh. 91. They continue
this day according to thine ordinances : for all are thy servants.
The eternity of Jehovah, and the immutability of his counsels, are
considerations which afford comfort and encouragement to his peo-
ple, when their enemies are in arms against them. Even in this
world the unwearied "heavens" continue to perform invariably their
operations upon themselves and the bodies placed in them ; while
the globe of the "earth," retaining its original form and coherence of
parts, still, as at the beginning, supports and maintains the successive
448 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
" generations " of men, which live and move upon it, to whom the
faithful promises of God are fulfilled from age to age. Thus doth
the unchangeable order of nature itself point out to us the truth of
her great Author, and at the same time reprove the eccentric motions
of rebellious man. The heavens and the earth continue this day
according to thine "ordinance," O Lord, "for all things are thy sex^
vants ;" all invariably serve thee, except man, who alone was en-
dowed with reason that he might obey and glorify thee in this Hfe,
and that which is to come !
92. Unless thy law had been my delights, I should have then perished in
mine affliction.
The Psalmist assureth us, from his own experience, how pleasant
and how pn^fitable, in time of trouble, is the meditation on the fidel-
ity of Ood, as displayed in the stability of his works. The " de-
lights," by this afforded, sustained his soul in " afflictions," which
must otherwise have brought him to an end. And the same ever-
lasting word shall be the believer's support and consolation, even
when the heavens shall melt around him with fervent heat, and the
earth, and all that is therein, shall be burnt up. " Heaven and earth
shall pass away," saith he who made them, " but my word shall not
pass ^way."
93. 1 wilt never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
Great are the necessities, and many the disorders of the soul ; but
in the Scripture there is provision and medicine for them all ; and
according to our various wants and maladies, God relieveth and
"quickeneth" us, sometimes with one part of his word, sometimes
with another. Now, when we have found ourselves thus benefitted,
at any time, by a particular passage of holy writ, we should " never
forget," but remember and treasure it up in our minds, against a
like occasion, when the same affliction and temptation may again
befall, us.
94. / am thine ; save me, for I have sought thy precepts.
The double relation which we have the honour to bear to God by
creation and by redemption, as the work of his hands, and the pur-
chase of his blood, is a most endearing and prevailing argument with
him, to " save" us from our enemies. But then let it be remembered,
that no man can say to God with a good conscience, " I am thine,"
unless he can also go on, and say, " I have sought thy precepts," I
desire to serve and obey thee alone ; since, after all, " his servants
we are to whom we obey ;" and if sin be our master, how can we say
to a master, whose interest is directly opposite, " I am thine ?"
95. The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy
testimonies.
In the preceding verse, David besought God to "save" him. The
reason of that prayer is here assigned, namely, because " the wicked
lay in wait for him to destroy him," as they afterwards did to destroy
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 449
X)ne whom the afflicted and persecuted Psalmist represented. Spir-
itual enemies are continually upon the watch to destroy us all ; and
we can no way escape their wiles, but by " considering," so as to
understand and observe, God's " testimonies."
96. I have seen an end of all perfection : but thy commandment is exceed-
ing broad.
Of " all perfection" in this world, w^hether of beauty, w^it, learning-,
pleasure, honour, or riches, experience will soon show us the." end."
But where is the end or boundary of the word of God? Who can
ascend to the height of its excellency ; who can fathom the depth of
its mysteries ; who can find out the comprehension of its precepts, or
conceive the extent of its promises ; who can take the dimensions
of that love of God to man which it describeth, or that love of man
to God which it teacheth ! The knowledge of one thing leadeth us
forward to that of another, and still, as we travel on, the prospect
opens before us into eternity, like the pleasant and fruitful mountains
of Canaan, rising on the other side of Jordan, when viewed by Moses
from the top of Pisgah. O happy reign of celestial wisdom, perma-
nent fehcity, true riches, and unfading glory ! while we contemplate
thee, how doth the world lessen, and shrink to nothing in our eyes !
Thy blessings faith now beholdeth, but it is charity which shall here-
after possess and enjoy them.
MEM.— PART XIII.
97. O how I love thy law ! It is my meditation all the day.
Words cannot express the love which a pious mind entertaineth
for the Scriptures. They are the epistle of God to mankind, offering
reconciliation, peace, and union with himself in glory ; containing
reasons why we should love him and each other, with directions how
to show forth that love, which, as the apostle saith, is " the fulfilling
of the law." Rom. xiii. 10. On some portions of these Scriptures
should our " meditation " be continually, and " each day" should add
something to our knowledge, to our faith, to our virtue.
98. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine ene-
mies : for they are ever with me. 99. / have Tnore understanding than all
my teachers : for thy testimonies are my meditation. 100. / understand more
than the ancients : because I keep thy precepts.
The "commandments" of God were "ever with" David ; the "tes-
timonies" of God were his " meditation ;" and the " precepts" of God
it was his care to " observe ;" therefore his wisdom exceeded the
policy of his " enemies," the learning of his " teachers," and the ex-
perience of the " ancients." Thus, by the wisdom of the Scriptures,
did the holy Jesus, in the days of his flesh, confound his adversaries,
astonish the teachers of the law, and instruct the aged. And it is
the high prerogative of the Scriptures, at all times, to render youth
and simplicity superior to the inveterate malice and subtilty of the
grand deceiver and his associates.
450 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
101. / have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy
word.
The foundation of all religion must be laid in mortification and
self-denial ; for since the will of fallen men is contrary to the will
of God, we must abstain from doing the one in order to do the other.
The affections may be styled the " feet" of the soul, and unless these
be " refrained from evil ways," no progress can be made in that way
which alone is good and right ; we cannot " keep God's word."
102. / have not departed from thy judgments ; for thou hast taught me.
Perseverance is the effect of instruction from above, by the Spirit,,
through the word : and our heavenly Teacher differeth from all.
others in this, that, with the lesson, he bestoweth on the scholar both
a disposition to learn and an ability to perform.
103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste ! yea, sweeter than honey to
my mouth.
The soul hath its " taste," as well as the body, and that taste is
then in good order, when the " words" of Scripture are " sweet" to
the soul, as " honey" is to the mouth. If they are not always so, it
is because our taste is vitiated by the world and the flesh ; and we
shall ever find our relish for the word of God to be greatest, when
that for the world and the flesh is least, in time of affliction, sickness,
and death ; for these are contraiy one to the other. In heaven the
latter will be no more, and therefore the former will be all in all.
104. Through thy precepts I get understanding : therefore I hate every
false way.
He who delighteth to study the Scriptures will " understand" from
them the true nature of righteousness and of sin ; he who doth un-
derstand the nature of each, will love the former ; and, in proportion,
" hate" the latter : and with that which we thoroughly hate, we will
not bear to have any connexion ; with suspicion and jealousy we
shall eye it approaching ; with courage and constancy we shall arm
and fight against it ; we shall make no peace, nor so much as a
truce with it ; but, as faithful soldiers and servants of Jesus Christ,
we shall aim at that utter extermination of it, which we have vowed,
and which, through the Spirit of grace and power, will be accom-
plished, but not, perhaps, totally, till our hfe and warfare shall end
together.
TWENTY-SIXTH DAY.— MORNING PRAYER.
NUN.— PART XIV.
105. TViy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my paih.
Man is a traveller, his life is a journey, heaven is his end, his road
lies through a wilderness, and he is in the dark. Thus circum-
stanced, how earnestly and devoutly ought he to pray, "O send out
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.* 45^
thy light and thy truth ; let them lead me, let them bring me to thy
holy hill, and to thy tabernacles !" Psalm xxiii. 3. For surely " the
commandment is a lamp, and the law is light ; and reproofs of in-
struction are the way of life." Prov. vi. 23. The word of God dis-
covereth to us our errors ; it showeth us where we lost our way, and
how we may recover it again. If we take this " lamp" in our hand,
it will not only point out our course in general, but also direct us in
every step, and guide our " feet" aright in the " path" of holiness
and peace. Thus, through the devious and lonely wilds of Arabia,
was Israel once conducted to the land of promise, by the illuminating
pillar, or rather by Him whose presence dwelt in the midst of it.
106. / have sworn, and I will perforin it, that 1 will keep thy righteous
jvdgments.
Such being the direction afforded by the word of God to a be-
nighted pilgrim, David had obliged himself, in the most solema
manner, to follow that direction. Every Christian doth, at his bap-
tism, in hne manner, '• promise and vow to keep God's command-
ments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life." The nature
and extent of these engagements must be interpreted according to
the covenant of grace, under which they are made. The command
to us sinners is, that we should repent, and believe in him, who will
pardon our faihngs, and strengthen our infirmities, that we may
walk as becometh his disciples, who, though they ought not to com-
mit sin, may yet, by divine grace, be restored and saved from it.
" These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
and he is the propitiation for our sins." 1 John, ii. 1.
107. / am affiicied very much : quicken mCy O Lord, according to thy
word.
The faithful servants of God may be " afflicted ;" they may be
" very much" and grievously afflicted : but let them consider, that
by afflictions, their corruptions are purged away, their faith il tried,
their patience perfected, their brethren are edified, and their Master
is glorified. Let them still firmly rely on the divine promise of gr^ce
and salvation ; still humbly pray for its accomplishment in them-
selves : " duicken me, O Lord, according to thy word."
108. Accept, I beseech thee, the free-will offerings of my mouthj O Lord;
and teach 7ne thy judgments.
The " offerings" of the believer are prayer, praise, and holy reso-
lutions and vows, like that of the Psalmist above, " to keep God's
righteous juds^ments," in which he therefore petitioneth to be every
day more and more "taught" and instructed l)y the Spirit of truth.
Christians are called by St. Peter " a royal and holy priesthood, ap-
pointed to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus
Christ." 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9.
109. My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
To have one's " soul,'* »d2, or life, " in one's hand," is a phrase
462 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
often used in Scripture, and implieth going in continual danger of
one's life : see Judg. xii. 3 ; 1 Sam. xix. 5 ; and xxviii. 21 ; Job,
xiii. 14. Great and incessant as David's perils were, he did not
" forget" God's promises, nor his precepts, but trusted in the former,
and performed the latter. St. Paul knew that " in every city bonds
and afflictions awaited him : but none of these things," saith he,
'' move me ; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy." Acts, xx. 23.
110. The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy pre-
cepts.
When open violence fails to move a man from his steadfastness,
" the wicked will lay snares" for him, to entice him into sin, by the
baits of honour, pleasure, or profit ; by exposing him to unavoidable
temptations, as, when David was driven out of his own land, to live
among idolaters, of which usage he complaineth, 1 Sam. xxvi. 19 ;
or else, by making laws which an honest man cannot obey without
sin, or refuse to obey without danger. Numberless are the traps of
one kind or other, which human wit and diabolical malice, in con-
junction, have set for the consciences of those who profess them-
selves to be the servants of God ; and happy is that servant whom
they have not caused to " err from the precepts" of his Master.
111. Thy testimonies have I taken as mine heritage for ever : for they are
the rejoicing of my heart.
The " testimonies" of God's will, his word, and his sacraments,
are the bonds and the deeds by which we hold our heavenly " in-
heritance, as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." Of these
deeds, and this inheritance, no power can deprive us ; and when
" they are the rejoicing of our hearts," we shall not, by preferring aa
earthly inheritance, deprive ourselves of them.
112. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto
th^end^
The " inclination of the heart" to good is the work of God ; but
man is, nevertheless, in this as in other instances, said to perform it,
when he listens to the call, and obeys the motions of his grace. We
are not to judge of ourselves by what we sometimes say and do, but
by the general disposition and tendency of the heart and its affec-
tions. When, after repeated trials, we find that the love of God
casts the scale against the love of the world : when it is our glory,
our delight, our treasure, our meat and drink to do his will, and,
against all opposition, to persevere in doing it, "even unto the end f
then are we the true disciples of that Master whose heart was ever-
more inclined to do good ; who alone performed a perfect and spot-
less obedience, and persisted in working the work of him that sent
him, until, with his last breath, he declared upon the cross, " It is
finished."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 463
SAMECH.— PART XV.
113. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
" Love and hatred" are the two great and influencing affections
of the human mind. Since the fall, they have been misplaced. By-
nature we '• love vain thoughts," and " hate the law of God. The
carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. viii. 7. But in a renewed
mind the case is altered ; its delight is in the law of God, and there-
fore it cannot bear " vain thoughts," which are contrary to that law,
and exalt themselves against it. Thoughts are often said to be free ;
from human censure they are, but not from the cognizance and
judgment of the Omniscient. The mind should be well furnished
with proper materials, on which to employ itself We shall then be
secured against the incursions of rambling, conceited, worldly, im-
pure, and revengeful thoughts, which otherwise will devour half our
time, and appear against us, to our unspeakable amazement, in that
day when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed.
1 14. TTiou art my hiding-place^ and my shield : I hope in thy word.
From vain thoughts and vain persons, the Psalmist teacheth us
to fly, by prayer, to God, as our refuge and protector. This course
a behever will as naturally take, in the hour of temptation and dan-
ger, as the offspring of the hen, on perceiving a bird of prey hover-
ing over their heads, retire to their " hiding-place," under the wings
of their dam ; or as the warrior opposeth his " shield" to the darts
which are aimed at him.
115. Depart from me, ye evil-doers : for I will keep the commandments of
my God.
Safe under the protection of the Almighty, David bids the wicked
*' depart from him ;" he neither fears their malice, nor will follow
their counsels, being resolutely determined to adhere to his duty,
and to " keep the commandments of his God." He who hath form-
ed David's resolution, must, hke him, disclaim and renounce the
society of " evil-doers ;" for every man will insensibly contract the
good or bad qualities of the company which he keeps ; and should,
therefore, be careful to keep such as will make him wiser and bet-
ter, and fit him for the goodly fellowship of saints and angels.
116. Uphold me according to thy word, that I may live: and let me not he
ashamed of my hope. 117. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe : and 1 will
have respect unto thy statutes continually.
4 resolution to fly from evil, and to do good, is properly followed
by an earnest and repeated prayer to be " upheld" in the performance
of it by divine grace, " according to God's word," and promise ; that
so our " hope" in that word may not fail, and put us to " shame"
before our enemies ; that we may be " saved" from faUing, and en-
abled, in our walking, to have " respect unto the divine statutes con-
tinually." How necessary is this prayer to be made by creatures
454 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
whose tempers and dispositions are ever varying ; who have so
many and so formidable adversaries to contend with, and on whom
their temporal condition hath so much influence !
118. T%ou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their
deceit is falsehood.
The dreadful judgments which God, from time to time, in all
ages of the world, hath executed, and which he still can and will
execute, upon impenitent sinners, afford a kind of admonition, and
a powerful motive to obedience. As no force can counteract the
power of God, so no "cunning" can deceive his wisdom, but will
always, in the end, miserably i' deceive" those who trust in it, and
employ it against the counsels of heaven ; " their deceit, or subtilty,
is falsehood," ^pv, it will fail, and ruin its owners. Of this, history
furnisheth instances in abundance. And it will be evident to all
the world, when simplicity and innocence shall reign triumphant
with the Lamb, on Mount Sion ; and deceit and guile shall have
their portion with the serpent, in the lake of fire.
119. 77*016 putt est away all the ungodly of the earth like dross: tJierefore I
love thy testimonies.
" Ungodly" men and hypocrites are mingled among the sons and
'servants of God, as " dross" is blended with the pure metal, and ap-
peareth to be part of it. But the fiery trial of divine judgment soon
discovereth the difference. The false pretences of the hypocrite are
detected, and the glory of the wicked vanisheth away. These dis-
pensations of God's providence increase our " love" of his " word ;"
because they give us sensible experience of its truth, they show us
the justice of God in punishing others, together with his mercy in
sparing us, and removing those who might have corrupted us and
turned the silver itself into dross. In times of visitation, Christ sit-
teth among his people " as a refiner and purifier of silver," purging
away all dross, that out of what remains may be made " vessels of
honour, meet for the Master's use," to serve and to adorn the sanc-
tuary. See Mai. iii. 3 ; Isa. i. 25 ; 2 Tim. ii. 21.
120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judg-
ments.
At the presence of Jehovah, when he appeareth in judgment, the
earth trembleth and is still. His best servants are not exempted
from an awful dread upon such occasions; scenes of this kind,
shown in vision to the prophets, caused their flesh to quiver, and all
their bones to shake. Encompassed with a frail body, and a sinful
world, we stand in need of every possible tie ; and the affections
both of fear and love must be employed to restrain us from trans-
gression ; we must, at the same time, " love God's testimonies, and
fear his judgments."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 45$
AIN.— PART XVI.
121. I have done judgment and jitstice : leave me not to mine oppressors.
He who is engaged in a righteous cause, and hath acted uprightly
in the support of it, may so far, without incurring the censure of
boasting, or trusting to his own righteousness, make David's plea,
" I have done judgment and justice ;" as if he had said, Thou, O
my God, knowest I am innocent of the crimes whereof my impla-
cable enemies accuse me, and that I have done no wrong to those
who seek to take away my life ; deliver not thine injured servant,
therefore, into their hands ; " leave me not to mine oppressors." The
Son of David might use the words in their full and absolute sense,
and plead for a glorious resurrection, on the foot of his having per-
formed a perfect obedience to the law.
122. Be surety for thy servant for good : let not the proud oppress me.
The Psalmist finding himself ready to be seized by his insolent
adversaries, like a helpless and insolvent debtor, entreateth the Al-
mighty to appear in his defence, to take the matter into his own
hands, to interpose and plead his cause, as his surety and advocate
in the day of trouble. Good Hezekiah uses the same word in the
same sense, speaking of the time when death was about to make hig
claim upon the mortal part of him ; " O Lord, I am oppressed, ■«3iny,
undertake, be surety for me ;" Isa. xxxviii. 14. Happy the creatures,
whose Creator is their surety, and hath interposed to rescue them
from those great oppressors, sin, death, and Satan !
23. Mine eyes fail for thy salvation^ and for the word of thy righteous^
ness.
Salvation, whether temporal or spiritual, may be delayed ; the
"eyes" of the sufferer may "fail" with looking upward, and his
earnest expectation may be ready to break forth, in the words of
Sisera's mother, " Why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why tarry
the wheels of his chariot?" But what saith God, by his prophets
and apostles ? " Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely
come :" Hab. ii. 3. " Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will
come :" Heb. x. 37. The " word" which hath promised it, is the
word of truth, faithfulness, and " righteousness ;" the attributes of
God are engaged for its accomplishment, and he cannot deny
himself.
124. Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy
statutes. 125. / am thy servant : give me understanding, that I may know
thy testimonies.
The consideration that we are the " servants" of God, if indeed
we are so, will always be successfully urged to the best of masters,
as an argument why he should " deal with us according to his
mercy," in the pardoning of our offences ; " teach us his statutes,"
that we may know and do his will ; and instruct us in his " testi-
monies," that we may believe aright concerning him.
456 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
126. It is time for thee, Lord, to work : for they have made void thy law.
The " law" of God " is made void" by those who deny its author-
ity, or its obhgation ; by those who render it of none effect through
their traditions, or their hves. When a dehjge of wickedness and
impiety entering at these gates, hath overwhehned a land, " it is
time for the Lord to work ;" the great lawgiver will then exert his
power, and vindicate his authority speedily. There is a certain
measure of iniquity, which when communities, or individuals re-
spectively, have filled up, the destroying angel comes forth, and ex-
ecutes his commission. How ought a man to fear, lest the next sin
he commits should fill up his measure, and seal his eternal doom !
127. Therefore Hove thy commandments above gold; yea, above Jine gold.
As the wickedness of those increaseth who " make void the divine
law," the zeal and •' love" of behevers should increase in proportion,
to stem the torrent ; and this may be done to a surprising degree, by
a few persons, who, after the example of the first Christians, can
forsake all, to follow their Master ; who have the sense and the
courage to prefer truth, wisdom, holiness, and heaven, to falsehood,
folly, sin, and the world ; who can resolutely reject the glittering
temptation, and say, without hypocrisy, to their God, " I love thy
commandments above gold ; yea, above fine gold."
128. Therefore /esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right ;
or, Therefore all thy precepts, even all, have I approved ; and / hate every
false way.
For the same reason that the children of God, in the worst of
times, " love his commandments," they love them "all," not observing
such only as they can observe without giving offence, but, regardless
of the censures of the world, doing their duty in every particular ;
not "hating" some "evil ways," and at the same time walking in
others, but extending and manifesting their aversion to all alike.
Of such persons it is evident, that they make a conscience of their
doings, and their conduct appears to be uniform ; the adversary will
have no evil thing to say of them ; they will do real service to the
cause which they maintain ; and, after having honoured their
Master before men, they will by him be honoured before men and
angels.
PE.— PART XVII.
129. Thy tesiimonies are wonderful : therefore doth my soul keep, or, ob-
serve, them.
The Scriptures are " wonderful," with respect to the matter which
they contain, the manner in which they are written, and the effects
which they produce. They contain the sublimcst spiritual truths,
veiled under external ceremonies and sacraments, figurative descrip-
tions, typical histories, parables, similitudes, <fcc. When properly
opened and enforced, they terrify and humble, they convert and trans-
form, they console and strengthen. Who but must delight to study
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 497*
and to " observe" these " testimonies" of the will and the wisdom, the
love and the power, of God most high ! While we have these holy-
writings, let us not waste our time, misemploy our thoughts, and
prostitute our admiration, by doting on human follies, and wondering
at human trifles.
130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to
the simple.
The Scriptures are the appointed means of "enlightening" the
mind with true and saving knowledge. They show us what we
were, what we are, and what we shall be ; they show us what God
hath done for us, and what he expecteth us to do for him ; they
show us the adversaries w^e have to encounter, and how to encounter
them with success ; they show us the mercy and the justice of the
Lord, the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell. Thus will they
" give to the simple," in a few days, an " understanding" of those
matters, which philosophy, for whole centuries, sought in vain.
131. I opened my mouth and panted : for I longed far thy commandments.
An eastern traveller, fatigued through toil, and parched by heat,
doth not, with more vehement desire, gasp for the cooling breeze,
than the servant of God, in time of temptation and trouble, "panteth"
after that spirit of refreshment and consolation which breathes in
the Scriptures of truth. The affections are the springs of human
actions ; no arguments are needful to impel, and no difficulties are
sufficient to retard, the man who is in pursuit of an object which,
with all his heart, he loves and " longs for." How happy is it whea
heaven, instead of earth, is that object !
132. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto
those that love thy name,
A child of God is never so much afflicted, as when his heavenly
Father seemeth, for a time, to have turned away his face from him^
All lesser troubles vanish, when God doth but vouchsafe a " look"
of paternal compassion. And since the love of Jehovah to his
people is unchangeable as his nature, mercies formerly shown to
others are most forcibly urged by the Psalmist in his petition for the
like : " Be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that
love thy name."
133. Order my steps in thy word ; and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me.
By the instruction of his " word" God bringeth us into the way
of life ; by the aids of his grace he " directeth" and " supporteth"
our " steps" in that way, enabling us, as we proceed, to overcome
the sins which do beset us, so that they prevail not to turn us back,
or to make us desist from travelling toward the city of our eternal
habitation.
134. Deliver Tuefrom the oppression of man : so will I keep thy precepts.
He truly loveth God. who requesteth "deliverance" from "op
58
458 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
pression" and persecution, that he may again enjoy the opportunities
of " keeping his precepts," and of serving him without distraction.
And gratitude for his dehverance will be, with such an one, an addi-
tional reason for using those opportunities, when they are restored,
to the best advantage.
135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant ; and ieojch me thy statutes.
The same sentiment is again expressed in ditTerent language.
The Psalmist prayeth for a return of the divine favour, and for
better days, that in peace and tranquillity he may learn and do the
will of God. Tribulation is a dark and tempestuous night ; but
Jehovah causeth " his face to shine" upon his people, and the effects
are like those produced by the sun at his rising, when universal
nature revives and rejoices, and clouds and darkness fly away.
136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep hot thy law.
David, who, through this whole Psalm, so often and so ardently
beseecheth God " to teach him his statutes," declareth in this verse
his continual grief of heart, occasioned by seeing others break those
statutes. Thus Lot, among the Sodomites, was " vexed from day
to day," not so much at their usage of himself, as at " seeing and
hearing their unlawful deeds :" 2 Pet. ii. 8. Thus Jeremiah tejleth
the ungodly of his time, " If ye will not hear, my soul shall weep in
secret places for your pride ; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and
run down with tears :" Jer. xiii. 17. Thus the holy Jesus " looked
round about on the Pharisees, being grieved for the hardness of their
hearts," Mark, iii. 5; and "wept over" a city which had always
persecuted, and was then about to crucify him, because it " knew
not the things which belonged to its peace :" Luke, xix. 41. Accept,
O Lord, the tears which our blessed Redeemer shed, in the days of
his flesh, for us, who should, but, alas ! too often cannot, weep for
our brethren, or for ourselves ; and give us, at least, the grace of
holy mourning, which in thy sight is of great price.
TZADDI.— PART XVIIL
137. Righteous art thou^ O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.
This portion of our Psalm is employed in celebrating the right-
eousness of God, manifested to us by his word, and by his dispensa-
tions, which that word both recordeth and explain eth. It is said
of the emperor Mauritius, that, upon seeing all his children slain be-
fore his face, at the command of that bloody tyrant and usurper,
Phocas, himself expecting the next stroke, with a philosophy truly-
divine, he exclaimed aloud, in these words of David, " Righteous
art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments."* By faith he
was assured of this great truth, and noljly confessed it, notwithstand-
ing all appearances to the contrary. The last day will demonstrate
* Baron. Annal. ad Ann. 602.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 469
the same thing to the whole world, and open the mouths of men
and angels to declare concerning all the divine proceedings, what
the good Mauritius acknowledged, at the time, with regard to the
murder of his children.
138. Thy testimonies^ that thou hast commanded^ are righteous and very,
faithful.
The revelations of God's will are " righteousness" and " truth ;"
his commands are just, and ought to be obeyed ; his promises and
his threatenings will infallibly come to pass, and deserve, above all
things, to be regarded.
139. My zeal hath consumed me ; because mine enemies have forgotten thy
words.
" Zeal" is a high degree of love ; and when the object of that
love is ill treated, it venteth itself in a mixture of grief and indigna-
tion, which are sufficient to wear and " consume" the heart. This
will be the case, where men rightly conceive of that dishonour
which is continually done to God by creatures whom he hath made
and redeemed. But never could the verse be uttered, with such ful-
ness of truth and propriety, by any one, as by the Son of God, who
had such a sense of the Father's glory, and of man's sin, as no per-
son else ever had. And, accordingly, when his zeal had exerted
itself in purging the temple, St. John tells us, " his disciples remem-
bered that it was written. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up." The place where it is so written, is Psalm Ixix. 9, and the
passage is exactly parallel to this before us.
140. Thy word is very pure ; therefore thy servant toveth it.
" Thy word is very pure," in the original, " tried," refined, puri-
fied, like gold in the furnace ; absolutely perfect, without the dross
of vanity and fallibility, which runs through human writings. The
more we try the promises, the surer we shall find them.* This pure
word hath likewise in it a power of purifying us. It containeth pre-
cepts and examples of purity, helps and encouragements to purity,
and the Spirit of purity goeth with it, and worketh by it. '• There-
fore thy servant loveth it ;" and no one, but a true servant of God,
can " therefore" love it, because it is pure ; since he who loves it
must desire to be like it, to feel its efficacy, to be reformed by it, and
conformed to it.
141. / am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.
Faithfulness to God will often reduce men to straits, and bring
upon them the contempt of the world ; happy are they who, under
these difficulties and discouragements, " forget not his precepts," but
still continue faithful, looking unto Jesus, who once " endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of
God." Heb. xii. 2.
* Pure gold is so fixed, that Boerhaave informs us of an ounce of it set in the eye of
a glass-furnace for two months, without losing a single grain.
460 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
142. 7%y righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is tlie
truth.
Men may decree wickedness by a law, or they may change their
decrees, and, with them, what was rio^ht to-day, may be worng to-
morrow. But the law of God is " righteousness," and it is " truth,"
to-day and for ever. His justice, goodness, and fidelity are un-
changeable ; he will never forsake us, unless we forsake him, but
will remember us in our lowest estate, if, in that estate, we " do not
forget his precepts."
143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon, or, have found me, yet
ihy commandments are my delights.
We need not take pains, as many do, " to find trouble and ai>-
guish," for they will one day " find us." In that day, the revelations
of God must be to us instead of all worldly " delights " and pleas-
ures, which will then have forsaken us ; and how forlorn and deso-
late will be our state, if we shall have no other delights, no other
pleasures, to suceed them, and to accompany us into eternity ! Let
our study be now in the Scriptures, if we expect our comfort from
them in time to come.
144. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting : give me under-
standing, and I shall live.
In every sense, O Lord Jesu, thy righteousness is " everlasting.'^
Grant us the " understanding" of it, in every sense, and we " shall
live," in thee now, and with thee for ever.
TWENTY-SIXTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
KOPH.— PART XIX.
145. / cried with my whole heart ; hear me, O Lord : / vrill keep thy stat-
utes. 146. / cried unto thee ; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
Believers, in time of affliction, make their prayer to God with fer-
vour and importunity, petitioning for deliverance, that they may the
better serve their Deliverer, and keep his laws.
147. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy
word. 14S. Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that 1 might meditate in
ihy word.
It is a certain sign that our hearts are set upon a work, when the
thoughts of it cause sleep to depart from us, and we awake readily,
constantly, and early, to the performance of it. David delighted in
the holy exercises of prayer and meditation ; therefore he " prevented
the dawning of the morning," and was beforehand with the light
itself ; therefore his " eyes prevented the watches," that is, the last
of those watches, into which the night was by the Jews divided ; he
needed not the watchman's call, but was stirring before it could be
given. CUmate and constitution will, doubtless, make a difference,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 461
and claim considerable allowance ; but by Christians, who enjoy
their health, in temperate weather, the sun should not be suffered to
shine in vain, nor the golden hours of the morning to glide away
unimproved ; since of David's Lord, as well as of David, it is said,
" in the morning rising up, a great while before day, he went out and
departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark, i. 35.
149. Hear my voice, according unto thy loving-kindness ; O Lord, quicken
me according to tfiy judgment, that is thij word. 150. TViey draw nigh that
follow after mischief: they are far from thy law. 151. Thou art near, O
Lord ; and all thy commandments are truth.
If our enemies " draw nigh" to destroy us, God is still " nearer"
to preserve us ; and, however his " word" may be rejected by the
wicked, the faithful always find it to be "true," to their great and
endless comfort.
152. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old, that thou hast founded
them for ever.
This portion of our Psalm endeth with the triumph of faith over
all dangers and temptations. " Concerning thy testimonies," the
revelations of thy will, thy counsels for the salvation of thy servants,
" I have known of old," by faith, and by my own experience, as
well as that of others, " that thou hast founded them for ever ;" they
are unalterable and everlasting as the attributes of their great Author,
and can never fail those who rely upon them, in time, or in eternity.
RESH.— PART XX.
153. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me : for I do not forget thy law.
It is happy when our " afflictions" do not make us to " forget the
law of God ;" then have we confidence toward him in our prayers,
that he will " consider" and regard our sufferings, as he did those
of Israel in Egypt, and come down to " deliver" us out of all our
troubles ; for Israel is still in Egypt, while the church is in the world ;
but let us remember the promise, and rejoice in hope.
154. Plead my cause, and deliver me : quicken me according to thy word.
God is the patron of his people, to " plead" their " cause ;" their
Redeemer, to " deUver" them out of troubles ; the Author and Fount-
ain of their life, to " quicken" and support them. We may, there-
fore, have recourse to him at all times, as an Advocate, a Saviour,
and a Comforter, for the defence of our cause, the deliverance of our
persons, and the support of our hearts. And all this, " according
to his word," in which he hath engaged thus to patronize, to rescue,
and to strengthen those who trust in him, and apply to him.
155. Salvation is far from the wicked : for they seek not thy statutes.
The " salvation" which is nigh to the faithful because they dili-
gently and earnestly seek to know and to do the will of God revealed
to them in his word, is " far from the wicked," because " they seek
462 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
not his statutes," nor concern themselves to know what they are,
much less to observe and practise them.
156. Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord : quicken me according to thy
judgments, that is, thy word. 157. Many are my persecutors, and mine ene-
inies ; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. 158. 1 beheld the transgress
sors, and was grieved j because they kept not thy word.
Persecution tempteth men to apostacy, and is the great trial of
our fidelity to God and to his word. He who, in such circumstances,
forgetteth his own sufferings, to commiserate the sin and folly of hig
persecutors, is a true follower, as David was a forerunner, of Jesus
Christ.
159. Consider how I love thy precepts : quicken me, O Lord, according to
thy loving-kindness. 160. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every
one of thy righteous judgments endure th for ever.
It is observable how the Psalmist delighteth to dwell on these two
sweet notes ; the " loving-kindness" of God in promising salvation,
and his " truth" in the constant performance of that promise to his
church, while she "loves" and adheres to his " precepts." Thus it
hath been " from the beginning," and thus it will be, until the whole
counsel of heaven shall at length be fulfilled, by the resurrection and
salvation of the just.
SCHIN.— PART XXI.
161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause : but my heart standeth
in awe of thy word. 162. 1 rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great
spoil.
David was '• persecuted" by Saul and his assooiates, " without a
cause." The life of Saul was spared by him, because " he stood in
awe of God's word," and preferred the comfortable reflection of having
obeyed its injunctions, to all the "spoil," and to those many advan-
tages, that would have accrued to him, by the overthrow and death
of his implacable adversary, who acknowledged, upon the occasion,
" Thou art more righteous than I." 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. The suf-
ferings of the body are soon over ; the joys of conscience have no
end.
163. / hate and abhor lying : but thy law do 1 love.
The word of truth is the proper object of our " love," and every
thing which is contrary to it deserveth our " hatred and abhorrence ;"
nor is life itself worth preserving at the expense either of our faith or
our virtue.
164. Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgments.
They who, like David, during the time of persecution and afilic-
tion, put their trust in God, and wait his decision of their cause, will
always find reason, as David did, to " praise him seven times a day,"
or continually, for his just decrees and " righteous judgments " con-
cerning them.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
165. Great peace have they which love thy law : and nothing sliall offend
them.
Amidst the storms and tempests of the world, there is a perfect
calm in the breasts of those who not only do the will of God, but
" love" to do it. They are at peace with God, by the blood of recon-
cihation ; at peace with themselves, by the answer of a good con-
science, and the subjection of those desires which war against the
soul ; at peace with all men, by the spirit of charity ; and the whole
creation is so at peace with them, that all things work together for
their good. No external troubles can rob them of this " great peace,"
no "offences" or stumbUng-blocks, which are thrown in their way
by persecution or temptation, by the malice of enemies or the apos-
tacy of friends, by any thing which they see, hear of, or feel, can
detain or divert them from their course. Heavenly love surmounts
every obstacle, and runs with delight the way of God's command-
ments.
166. Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
This is the true posture of a Christian, in which he need not fear
to be found by his last and great enemy, death, " doing " his duty,
and "hoping" for salvation from the person who is his Maker, as
well as his Redeemer, and who, consequently, expecteth to be obeyed,
no less than to be believed in.
167. My sold hath kept Ihy testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. 168. /
have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
The "love of God's testimonies," and the consideration, that all
"our ways are before hinj," and subject to his immediate inspec-
tion, are two powerful motives to obedience. The plea of having
" kept the divine precepts," &c. in the mouth of David, or any other
believer, intendeth sincerity, not perfection, and is alleged as an evi-
dence of grace, not as a claim of merit. Christ alone kept the old
law, and he enableth us to observe the new.
TAU.— PART XXII.
169. Let my cry come v£ar before thee, O Lord : give me understanding ac-
cording to thy word. 1 70. Let my supplication come before thee : deliver me
according to thy word.
The Psalmist still continueth instant in prayer for "understanding,"
to direct him in the midst of dangers and temptations, and for "de-
liverance" out of them all, when God shall see fit to accomplish the
promises made in his " word." These are blessings for which a man
cannot be too frequent, or too earnest, in his petitions to the throne
of heaven.
171. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172. My tongue shall speak of ihy word: for all thy commandments are righ-
teousness.
He who obtameth his requests, and is made a partaker of that
grace and salvation for which he so fervently prayed, will edify men,
464 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
by singing the "praises," and proclaiming the "righteousness" of
God his Saviour.
173. Let thine hand help me : fm- 1 have chosen thy precepts. 174. 1 have
longed for thy salvation, O Lord : and thy law -is my delight.
" Salvation" by the " hand," or arm of Jehovah (which is often in
Scripture a title of Messiah) hath been the object of the hopes, the
desires, and " longing" expectation of the faithful, from Adam to this
hour ; and will continue so to be, until He, who hath already visited
us in great humihty, shall come again in glorious majesty, to com-
plete our redemption, and take us to himself.
175. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee ; and let thy judgments help
me.
The "life" which God granteth and preserveth to us, whether it
be the natural life of the body, or the spiritual life of the soul, (for
both are from him,) should be employed in "praising" him. This
return for his mercies we are always ready to promise, when we are
in danger, but often forgetful to perform, when delivered out of it.
176. / hm)e gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not
forget thy commandments.
It is doubtful whether David here speaks of his misery or his sin ;
of his " wandering," as an exile in foreign lands, or of his " going
astray" from the "commandments" of his God, though he had not
altogether " forgotten," but was desirous of returning again to the
observance of them, and therefore beseeches the great Shepherd to
"seek" and bring back his "lost sheep."* In the application of the
passage to ourselves, it matters not which interpretation we adopt,
since we are both sinners and exiles ; exiles, because sinners ; " we have
erred and strayed from God's ways, like lost sheep," and are, for that
reason, excluded from our heavenly city and country, to wander for
a time in the wilderness. Restore us, O Lord Jesu, by thy grace, to
righteousness, and by thy power, to glory !
* " Erravi sicut ovis — Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus." Isa. liii. 6. " Scd nos
bonus ille Pastor humeris reportavit." Luc. xv. 5. — Bossuet. Mr. Merrick's Poetical
Paraphrase of this verse is so beautiful and affecting, that I cannot refrain from sub-
joining it : •
" Thine eyes in me the sheep behold,
Whose feet have wander'd from the fold ;
That guideless, helpless, strives in vain
To find its safe retreat again ;
Now listens, if perchance its ear
The Shepherd's well-known voice may hear ;
Now, as the tempests round it blow,
In plaintive accents vents its woe.
Great Ruler of this earthly ball,
Do thou my erring steps recall :
O seek thou him who thee has sought,
Nor turns from thy decrees his thought."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 465
TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CXX.
ARGUMENT. — This, and the fourteen Psalms which follow it, are entitled, " Psalms
of Degrees, or of Ascensions." For what reason they were so called is altogether
uncertain. Certain, however, it is, that they are most instructive and pleasing com-
positions, wonderfully calculated to elevate the soul to God ; and that the Christian,
as he proceeds from one degree of virtue to another, in his way towards eternal
felicity, cannot employ himself better than in meditation on them. In the first of
these Psalms, the author, most probably David, complaineth of the falsehood, the
treachery, and the violence of men, amongst whom he grieveth that his pilgrimage
is prolonged.
1. In my distress, I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. 2. Deliver my
soul, O luord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
The prophet relateth the success of his prayer made to Jehovah
in time of trouble. He " cried," and was "heard." The particular
species of trouble under which he then laboured, was that caused
by the malice and treachery of his adversaries, who either with
" lying lips" bore false witness against him, or with a " deceitful
tongue" tried to ensnare him, and to draw something from him on
which they might ground an accusation. Thus the Jews dealt
with Christ ; and men of their cast and complexion have, in all
ages, dealt thus with his true followers. From such " lips," and
such " tongues," God only can "deliver" the persons and the repu-
tations of the most innocent.
3. What shall be given unto thee ! or what shall he done unto thee^ thou
false tongue? 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Some render the first of these two verses a Httle differently : " What
shall a false tongue give thee, or what shall it add to thee ?" The
sense will be much the same, whether the Psalmist be supposed to
address his question to the false tongue or to him who is the owner
of it. The purport of the question plainly is this : What profit or
advantage do you expect to reap from this practice of lying and
slandering ? what will at last be its end and its reward ? Then,
followeth the answer : " Sharp arrows of the mighty one," ^1:25, who
is the avenger of truth and innocence ; with a fire that burns fierce-
ly, and burns long, like that which was made of "juniper," or some
wood used in those days, remarkable for increasing and retaining
heat ; punishments justly inflicted on a tongue, the words of which
have been keen and killing as arrows, and which, by its lies and
calumnies, hath contributed to set the world on fire. We read in
the gospel of one who exclaimed, "Send Lazarus, that he may dip
the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ; for I am torment-
ed in this flame."
5. IVoe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar !
The Psalmist lamenteth his long continuance among those deceit-
ful and malicious men, whom he compareth to the wild, barbarous,
69
466 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and idolatrous Arabs, the descendants of " Kedar," the son of Ish-
mael : Gen. xxv. 13. The former part of the verse is, with greater
propriety, perhaps, rendered, by many of the translators and exposi-
tors, thus : " Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged — " ^t>3 ■'nns ■^r)^
" I dwell, or, my dwelling is, among the tents of Kedar." When our
Lord was upon earth, the Jews were become the spiritual Ishmael-
ites, sons of the bond-woman, persecutors of the sons of the free-
woman, and the children of promise. " O faithless and perverse
generation," saith he, "how long shall I be with you? how long
shall I suffer you ?" Matt. xvii. 17. " And as then he that was
born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit,
even so it is now." Gal. iv. 29. The church daily sigheth and
groaneth, because her "sojourning is prolonged," and she dwelleth
among adversaries of various denominations, among those who take
delight in vexing and troubhng her. These are " the tents of Ke-
dar," among which we dwell in the wilderness, longing to depart,
and to be with Christ in the city of the living God.
G. My soul hath long dwelt icith him that hateth peace. 7. I scm fur peace ;
or, / am a man of peace : but when I speak, they are for war.
If this was the case of David, much more might the Son of David
make the same complaint, that he " dwelt with them that hated
peace ;" that although he was " a man of peace," meek, lowly, and
gracious in his deportment to all around him ; although he came to
make peace, and to reconcile all things in heaven and earth ; al-
though his conversation and his preaching were of peace, and love,
and the kingdom of God ; yet no sooner did he open his mouth to
"speak" upon these divine subjects, but his enemies were up in arms,
ready to apprehend, to accuse, to condemn, and to crucify him. Mar-
vel not, O disciple of Jesus ! if the world hate and oppose thee ; but
pray only, that when thou shalt be used as he was, thou mayest be
enabled to bear that usage as he did.
PSALM CXXI.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, the prophet, 1, 2. introaucetn a person, most probably
an Israelite on his way to Jerusalem, expressing his trust and confidence in Jehovah,
the Maker of heaven and earth, of whose favour and protection, at all times, and in
all dangers, the prophet, 3 — 8. assureth him. These promises, like those in the
ninety-first Psalm, were, in their full and spiritual sense, made good to Messiah, and
are now daily accomplishing in the members of his mystical body, the Chrislian
church. Bishop Lowth supposeth the two first verses to be spoken by David, when
going out to war, and the answer of encouragement to be made by Ihe high-priest
from the holy place. In this case, the idea of warfare is added to that of pilgrim-
age, and the Psalm rendered still more applicable to us, as well as to the true David
our King.
1. I will lift vp mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2. My
Help cometh from the Lord, which mnde heaven and earth.
The true Israelite, amidst the dangers of his earthly pilgrimage and
warfare, looketh continually towards the heavenly city, whither he is
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 48ff
travelling. Faith showeth him afar off the everlasting " hills from
whence cometh the help," which must bring him in safety to them.
He " lifteth up his eyes" in prayer to the Almighty, whose temple
and habitation are thereon. He putteth not his trust in any crea-
ture, but imploreth aid immediately of "him who made heaven
and earth," and who, consequently, hath power over all things in
both.
3. He will not suffer thy foot to he moved : he that keepeth thee will not
slumber. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
In the first two verses, we heard the believer declaring his resolu-
tion to trust in God. The Prophet now commendeth that resolu-
tion, and encourageth him to persevere in it. As if he had said,
Thou dost well to expect help from Jehovah alone ; to overlook the
vanities here below ; to place thy confidence, and set thy affections
on him who dwelleth above. Know therefore assuredly, that he
will be with thee in the way in which thou goest ; he will preserve
thee from falling, and defend thee from all dangers ; for in him thou
hast a guardian, who is not, like all others, liable to remit his care,
by being subject to sleep or death. The eye of his providence is
upon thee, and that is always open. "Behold, he that keepeth
Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
5. The Lord is thy keeper : the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand*
6. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The meaning is, that the good man, during his journey through
life, shall be under God's protection at all seasons ; as Israel in the
wilderness was defended from the burning heat of the sun, by the
moist and refreshing shadow of the cloud ; and secured against the
inclement influences of the nocturnal heavens, by the kindly warmth
and splendour diffused from the pillar of fire. Be thou with us, thy
servants, O Lord, in the world, as thou wast with Israel in the wil-
derness ; suffer not our virtue to dissolve before the sultry gleams
of prosperity ; permit it not to be frozen by the chilling blast of
adversity.
7. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preseJine thy soul.
8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from this time
forth for evermore.
To dissipate our fears, and remove every gi-ound of diffidence,
Jehovah promiseth, by his holy prophet, to " preserve us from all
evil" which might befall us in the way, either by turning it aside, or
turning it finally to our advantage, so that we shall not perish, but
see our labours happily begun and ended in him ; he " shall pre-
serve our going out, and our coming in," until, through all the vicis-
situdes of this mortal state, he shall have brought us into his holy
" temple," there to become " pillars," and to " go no more out."
Rev. iii. 12.
468 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM CXXII.
ARGUMENT. — The author of this Psalm, as we are informed by its title, was David.
The subject of it is that joy which the people were wont to express upon their going
up in companies to keep a feast at Jerusalem, when the divine services were regu-
lated, and that city was appointed to be the place of public worship. Every thing
which can be said upon this topic, must naturally hold good in its application to the
Christian church, and the celebration of her feasts : at which seasons the believer
will as naturally extend his thoughts to the Jerusalem above, and to that festival
which shall one day be there kept by all the people of God.
1. / was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Great was the joy of an Israelite, when his brethren called upoa
him to accompany them, on some festive occasion, to the tabernacle,
or temple at Jerusalem ; great is the joy of a Christian, when he is
invited, in like manner, to celebrate the feasts of the church, to com-
memorate the nativity, or the resurrection, and to eat and drink at
the table of his Lord. Such, in kind, but far greater in degree, is
that gladness which the pious soul experiences, when she is called
hence ; when descending angels say unto her, Thy labour and
sorrow are at an end, and the hour of thy enlargement is come ;
put off mortality and misery at once ; quit the house of bondage,
and the land of thy captivity ; fly forth, and " let us go together
into the house of the Lord, not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens."
2. Our feet shall stand within thy gatesj O Jerusalem !
Yes, O thou holy and happy city of peace, and love, and ever-
lasting delight, our God will in time bring us to behold, and to enter
thee ; " our feet," which now, with many a weary step, tread the
earth, " shall" one day " stand within thy gates." which are opened
to all believers ; we shall at length rest in thy celestial mansions,
and converse for ever with thy blessed inhabitants !
3. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together.
We see thee not, indeed, as yet, but we hear of thy stability, thy
unity, thy beauty, and thy magnificence. Thy foundations are
firm upon the holy hills ; they are garnished with all manner of
precious stones ; and in them are the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb. Thy gates are of pearl, twelve in number, and open
to all quarters, for the tribes of the spiritual Israel to come in. Thy
streets are of pure gold, as it were transparent glass ; thou art
crowned with the unfading brightness of eternal glory ; and the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple in the midst of
thee. All these glorious things are spoken of thee, thou city of
God ! And yet, when we come to see thee with our eyes, we shall
be forced to confess, as the queen of Sheba did upon viewing the
earthly Jerusalem, with its material temple, and the court of its
mortal king, that thou far "exceedest the fame which we had heard,"
and that " the half was not told us." 1 Kings x. 7.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 46§
4. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto, or, according to, the
testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
As all the " tribes" of Israel, three times in the year, were seen
" going up" to the old Jerusalem in compliance with the " testimo-
nies," the injunctions and institutions of their law, to acknowledge
the mercies, and to give thanks unto the name of " Jehovah," who
had done such great things for them ; so from the ends of the earth
are the redeemed of the Lord, out of every nation, and kindred,
and people, continually ascending, by faith and charity, to the new
Jerusalem. St. John saw the nations of them that were saved,
walking in the light of the heavenly city, and he heard her streets
resound with the hallelujahs of ten thousand times ten thousand.
5. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the hoitse of David.
The Israelites resorted to Jerusalem, because it was the metropo-
lis of the country, and there was the residence of their monarchs,
after the kingdom ^as established in " the house of David." But,
alas ! that metropolis is desolate, and " the thrones of judgment,"
which were therein, have been long since cast down to the ground.
A Jerusalem, however, remains, which shall never be moved ; in
that Jerusalem is the throne of eternal judgment erected, and the
Son of David sitteth upon it. Of him it was said by the angel to
Mary, " The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David : and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of
his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke, i. 32. And he him-
self thus addressed his apostles : " Verily, I say unto you, that ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man
shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. xix. 28.
6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee.
In this latter part of our Psalm, the members of the Israelitish
church are exhorted to pray for its peace and welfare. What that
church was, the Christian church militant upon earth now is, and
demandeth, in like manner, the prayers of all Christian people for its
peace and welfare in a troublesome and contentious world. Its in-
crease here below, is in reality the increase of Jerusalem above, of
which it is a part, and ought to be a resemblance. Heaven has
therefore decreed, that they who contribute their labours, as well as
their prayers, to promote so good and so glorious an end, shall enjoy
its protection, and its blessing shall be upon the work of their
hands ; " They shall prosper that love thee."
7. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity, or, plenteousness, within thy
palaces.
Come, O thou divine Spirit of peace and love, who didst reside in
the soul of the holy Jesus, descend into his mystical body, and fill
us, who compose it, with all his heavenly tempers ; put an end to
heresies, heal all schisms, cause bitter contentions to cease, abolish
every enmity, and make us to be of one mind in thy holy city ; that
470 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
SO, " peace being within her walls," her citizens may give them-
selves to every profitable employment, and " plenteousness" of grace,
wisdom, and truth, as well as of earthly blessings, may be in all her
" palaces." Thus will she become a hvely portrait of that place
which is prepared for them that love one another, where, with one
heart and one voice, they shall ascribe '' salvation and glory to God
and to the Lamb."
8. For my brethren and companion'' s sake I will now say, Peace be with-'
in thee. 9. Because of the house of the Lord our God I seek thy good.
In these concluding verses, the Psalmist declareth the two mo-
tives, which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to use his
best endeavours, for the prosperity of Jerusalem ; namely, love of his
brethren, whose happiness was involved in that of their city ; and
love of God, who had there fixed the residence of his glory. These
motives are ever in force, and ought, surely, to operate with marvel-
lous energy upon our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now
before us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour, for the salvation of
men, and the glory of their great Redemer ; both whic^i will thea
be complete, when the church militant shall become triumphant,
and the heavenly paradise shall be filled with plants taken from its
terrestrial nursery.
Theodore Zuinger, of whom some account may be found ia
Thuanus, when he lay on his death-bed, took his leave of the world
in a paraphrase on the foregoing Psalm ; giving it the same turn
with that given to it above. I have never been able to get a sight
of the original ;* but one may venture, I believe, to say, that it has
* Since the publication of the first edition, a learned friend has obliged me with a
copy of these Latin verses of Zuinger, transcribed from the 303d page of Vitae Ger-
inanorum Medicorum, by Melchior Adamus. They are as follow :
O lux Candida, lux mihi
Laeti conscia transitus !
Per Christi meritum patet
Vitae porta beatae.
Me status revocat dies
Augustam Domini ad domum :
Jam sacra aetherii premam
Laetus limina templi.
Jam visam Solymse edita
CobIo culmina, et aedium
* Coetus angel icos, suo et
Augustam populo urbem :
Urbem quam procul infimis
TerrcB finibus exciti
Petunt ChristiadaB, et Deum
Laudent voce perenni : .!
Jussam CGBJitus oppidis '
Urbem jus dare caeteris,
. Et sedem fore Davidis
Cuncta in ssecla beati.
Mater nobilis urbium !
Semper te bona pax amat :
Et te semper amantibus
Cedunt omia recte.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 471,
lest nothing in a translation of it by the learned and pious Mr.
Merrick ; which is so excellent, that I must beg leave to present it
<to the reader. Some of the lines are retained in his more literal poeti-
cal version, published in 1765. It may serve as a finished specimen
of the noble and exalted use which a Christian niay and ought to
make of the Psalms of David.
1.
What joy, while thus I view the day
That warns my thirsting soul away.
What transports fill my breast !
For, lo, my great Redeemer's pow'r
Unfolds the everlasting door,
And leads me to his rest.
2.
The festal morn, my God, is come.
That calls me to the hallow'd dome, «
Thy presence to adore ;
My feet the summons shall attend.
With wilhng steps thy courts ascend,
And tread tli' ethereal floor
3.
E'en now to my expecting eyes
The heav'n-built towers of Salem rise ;
E'en now, with glad survey,
I view her mansions, that contain
Th' angelic forms, an awful train.
And shine with cloudless day.
4.
Hither from earth's remotest end.
Lo, the redeem'd of God ascend.
Their tribute hither bring :
Here, crown'd with everlasting joy,
In hymns of praise their tongues employ
And hail th' immortal King :
5.
Great Salem's King ; who bids each state
On her decrees dependent wait j
In her, ere time begun,
High on eternal base uprear'd,
His hands the regal seat prepur'd.
For Jesse's favour'd son.
Semper pax tua mcenia
Colit; semper in atriis
Tuis copia dextera,
LargS, munera fundit.
Dulcis Christiadiim domus,
Civem adscribe novitium ;
Sola comitata Caritas —
Spesque Fidesque valete.
472 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
6.
Mother of cities ! o'er thy head
See Peace, with healing wings outspread,
Delighted fix her stay.
How blest, who calls himself* thy friend !
Success his labours shall attend.
And safely guard his way.
7.
Thy walls, remote from hostile fear,
Nor the loud voice of tumult hear.
Nor war's wild wastes deplore :
» There smiling plenty takes her stand,
And in thy courts, with lavish hand.
Has pour'd forth all her store.
8.
Let me, blest seat, my name behold
Among thy citizens enroU'd,
In thee for ever dwell,
Let charity my steps attend,
My sole companion and ray friend.
And faith and hope farewell !
PSALM CXXIIL
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. an act of confidence in God, with^.
3, 4. a prayer for deliverance from that reproach and contempt which infidelity and'
sensuality are wont to pour upon the afflicted people of God.
1. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
The church, when distressed and persecuted upon earth, " lifteth
up her eyes" to him that dwelleth in the heavens, from thence be-
holding and ordering all things here below. It is by his permission
that she is depressed and insulted ; and he only can deliver her out
of the hands of her enemies.
2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and
as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress ; so our eyes wait upon
the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
The servants of God, like other servants, if they are injured and
suffer violence, expect redress and protection from the Master whose
they are, and whom they serve. Under the law of Moses, a master
was to demand satisfaction, and to have it made him, for any hurt
done to his servant. And shall not the best of masters avenge the
wrongs done to those who serve him ; and done, perhaps, because
they serve him ? Without doubt, he will avenge them speedilv and
reward the sufferers gloriously.
3. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have m/'.rcy upon us ; for we are exceed-
ingly filled with contempt. 4. Our aoul is exceedinp-ly filled with the scorn-
ing of those tfiat are at ease, and with tJie contempt of the proud.
Unbelieving, ungodly, and worldly men, who are " at ease," and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 473
boast themselves in the multitude of their -riches, will always be
ready to cast upon the afflicted servants of Christ some portion of
that reproach and contempt, which were so plentifully poured upon
their blessed Master, in the day of his passion, and indeed through
his whole life. With these they may justly complain that " their
souls are exceedingly filled," insomuch that they are compelled to
exclaim with redoubled earnestness, " Have merey upon us, O Lord,
have mercy upon us." And let them know, for their comfort, that
the Lord will " have mercy upon them," in that day when sensuality
shall be succeeded by torment, and pride shall end in shame and
confusion ; when patient poverty shall inherit everlasting riches^
and oppressed humility shall be exalted to a throne above the stars.
PSALM cxxiy.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, which, as we are informed by the title, hath David
for its author, the church describeth the danger in which she hath been, and giveth
to God alone the glory of her deliverance out of it.
1. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say :
2. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side^ when men rose up against
us : 3. Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled
against us.
The people of Israel, rescued from impending ruin, break forth
into a joyful acknowledgment of that almighty aid, to which they
were indebted for th^ir deliverance. " Men" rose up against them,
but " Jehovah" was on their side ; men intended to devour, but God
interposed to save. May not " the Israel of Go3" say, in like man-
ner, " If the Lord had nor been on our side," when our spiritual
enemies, sin, death, and hell, were in arms against us, surely now
" they had swallowed us up quick," and we had perished everlast-
ingly ? It is thou, O Lord Jesu, who hast wrought for us this great
salvation; it is thou who from the beginning hast preserved thy
church in the world, amidst the persecutions which must otherwise
have put an end to its very existence.
4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us ; the stream, or, torrent, hud g07ie
over our soul : 5. Then the proud, or, swelling, waters had gone over our
soul.
The redeemed are astonished, upon looking back, at the greatness
of the danger to which they had been exposed. They can compare
the fury an.d insolence of their adversaries to nothing but overwhelm-
ing floods and desolating torrents ; and they consider themselves as
snatched by a miracle from instant destruction. Happy they, who
are taken from the evil to come, and have passed from the miseries of
earth to the felicities of heaven, where they are neither tempted nor
molested more. The devout Christian, whom in perilous times,
and towards the close of life, a gracious Providence has thrown
ashore in some sequestered corner, from whence he views those secu-
lar tumults with which he hath no further concern, is perhaps ar-
60
474 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
rived at the next degree of happiness to that of just spirits made
perfect.
6. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their- teeth.
7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is
broken, and we are escaped.
The marvellous deliverance of Israel is illustrated by two other
images. It is compared to the escape of a lamb from the jaws of a
wolf, or a lion ; and to that of a bird, by the breaking of the snare in
which it had been entangled, before the fowler came to seize and to
kill it. Save us, O God, from the rage and the subtilty of our
spiritual adversary ; save us from his teeth, when he would devour ;
from his snares, when he would deceive : suffer us not, either by per-
secution or temptation, to fall from thee ; let the lion gnash his teeth,
and the fowler look for his captive in vain ; that so we too may sing
the song of Zion in thy heavenly kingdom, and say, " Blessed be
the Lord, who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth.
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers : the
snare is broken, and we are escaped."
8. Our help is in the natne of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The great lesson which this Psalm, from the beginning to the
end, inculcates, is, that for every deliverance, whether of a temporal
or spiritual nature, we should, in imitation of the saints above,
ascribe " Salvation to God and the Lamb."
PSALM CXXV.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm the church is comforted with the promises, 1, 2. of
God's protection, and 3. of his removing, in due time, from his inheritance the rod
of the oppressor ; when, 4. the faithful will be rewarded, and, 5. apostates punished
with other workers of iniquity. Aben Ezra, as cited by Dr. Hammond, applieth the
Psalm to the days of Messiah.
1. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot he
removed^ but abidethfor ever. 2. As the mountains are round about Jerusa-
lem, 80 the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
The stabihty of the church, and the protection afforded her by
Jehovah, were of old represented by the mountain on which the di-
vine presence resided, and by the hills which encompassed Jerusalem,
so as to render that city in a manner impregnable. While her in-
habitants continued to " trust in the Lord," this was the case. But
when they became faithless and disobedient, she became weak, and
like another city. Let not our "trust in God" be a presumptuous,
ungrounded assurance ; but let it be a confidence springing from
faith unfeigned, out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and ifervent
charity. Then shall our situation, whether as a church or as indi-
viduals, resemble that of the holy mount in the beloved city, and
our God will be unto us a fortress, and a w^all round about. But
let us never forget, that the promises to us, like those to Israel, are
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 476
conditional; "Because of unbelief they were broken off; and we
stand by faith."
3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous ; lest
the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
God may, and often doth, permit "the rod" or power "of the
wicked to fall upon the lot of the righteous" in this world. But it is
only for the purposes of chastisement, or probation. The rod is not
s uttered to " rest," or abide, there too long, " lest the righteous," har-
assed and worn down by oppression, and seeing no end of their
calamities, should be tempted to " put their hands to iniquity," and
{)ractice that wickedness which they find to piosper so well here be-
ow. The import of this verse seemeth to be the same with that of
our Lord's prediction concerning the troubles of the latter days.
*' Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the begin-
ning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. But
for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened," Matt. xxiv.
21, 22.
4. Do good, O Lord, imto those that be good, and to them that are wnrigKt
in heart. 5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall
lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon IsraeL
The "good and upright in heart" are they who stand steady in
every change of circumstances ; who complain not of God's dispen-
sations, but, believing every thing to be best which he ordains, adhere
to him with a will entirely conformed to his, in adversity no less
than in prosperity. To these Jehovah will finally "do good;" and
they shall receive the reward of their faith and patience ; while such
-as, in time of trial, have fallen away, and returned no more, shall
be "led forth" to punishment "with the workers of iniquity," to
whose company their apostacy hath joined them. And then, " peace
shall be upon the Israel of God," with joy and gladness, for ever-
more.
TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY.— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXXYL
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm the children of Zion, 1 — 3. describe the joy consequent
upon their restoration from captivity ; 4. they pray God to bring back the rest of
their countrymen, and to complete his work ; 5, 6. they foresee and predict the 8uc-
cess of their labours in rebuilding their ruined city wiih its lemple, and cultivating
again their desolated country. The return of Israel from Babylon holds forth a
figure of the same import with the exodus of that people from Egypt. And this
Psalm, like the prophecies of Isaiah, representeth the blessed effects of a spiritual
redemption, in words primarily alluding to that temporal release.
1. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion^ we were like them thai
dream.
That Cyrus should issue a decree for the Jews to return to their
tn
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
own country, and to rebuild their city and temple ; that he should
dismiss such a number of captives, not only without money and
without price, but should send them home laden with presents, Ezra,
i. 1 — 4, this was the work of Jehovah, who only could thus " turn
the captivity of Zion." A restoration so complete, so strange and
unlooked for, brought about at once, without any endeavours used
on the side of Israel, seemed in all these respects as a " dream ;" and
the parties concerned, when they saw and heard such things, could
scarcely believe themselves to be awake. That the King of kings,
of his own mere love and mercy, should take pity on poor mankind,
in their more grievous captivity under sin and death ; that he should
send his only Son to purchase their liberty, his Spirit to enrich, and
conduct them to their country above, and his heralds to proclaim
such unexpected deliverance to all the world ; this Hkewise was the
work of the same Jehovah, who only could thus " turn again the
captivity of his Zion." Sinners, when the tidings of a salvation so
great and marvellous are preached to them, think themselves in a
" dream," and with difficulty give credit even to the royal proclama-
tion, though the great seal of heaven be affixed to it.
2. Then was our moutfi filled with laughter^ and our tongue with singing :
then said they among the heathen^ The Lord hath done great things for them,
3. The Lord hath done great things for us ; whereof we are glad.
The people of God soon find, that they are not mocked with illu-
sions, but that all about them is reahty and truth. Then sorrow
and sighing, fear and distrust, fly away together. Joy fills their
hearts, and overflows by their tongues, in songs of praise. The na-
tions hear, and are astonished, and own the hand of Jehovah in the
restoration of his people ; " Jehovah hath done great things for
them." The chosen people echo back the gladsome sound, and reply,
with transports of gratitude, " Jehovah hath done great things for us,
whereof we are glad." Every word of this agreeth not more exactly
to the return from Bablyon, than it doth to that eternal redemption
thereby prefigured, which is the grand subject of thanksgiving in the
Christian church.
4. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
The joy occasioned by Cyrus's proclamation having been described
in the former part of the Psalm, we may now suppose some of the
Jews ready to set out on their return home ; at which time, and
during their journey, they prefer this petition to God, that he would
be pleased to bring back the rest of their countrymen, who, like
"floods" rolling down upon the thirsty regions of the "south,"* might
* I think the irm^e is taken from the " torrents" in the deserts to the south of Ju-
dea : in Idnmsea, Arabia Petreea, &-c. a mountainous country. These torrents were
continually dried up in the summer ; see Job, xi. 17, 18 ; and as constantly *' returned"
after the rainy season, and filled again their deserted channels. The point of the com-
parison seems to be the " return" and renewal of these (not " rivers") but " torrents;'*
which yearly leave their beds dry, but fill them again ; as the Jews had left their
country desolate, but now " flowed again" into it. Bisliop Lowth, in Merrick's Anno-
tations.— Dr. Durell renders this verse as follows — " The turning of our captivity, O
Lord, is as streams in the south."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 477
people the land, and by their labours put an end to the desolations
of Judah. That God would daily increase the number of true con-
verts from the world to the church, to clear and cultivate the mysti-
cal vineyard, to build and to ornament the whole city, should be the
prayer of every labourer in that vineyard, of every citizen in that
city.
5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6. He that goeth fcxrth and
weepeth, hearing precious seed^ shall doubtless come again with rejoicing^
bringing his sheaves with Iiim.
The fatigue of travelling from Babylon to Judea; the melancholy
prospect of a long-depopulated country, and ruined city ; the toil
necessary to be undergone, before the former could be again brought
into order, and the latter rebuilt ; all these considerations could not
but allay the joy of the released captives, and even draw many tears
from their eyes. They are therefore comforted with a gracious
promise, that God would give a blessing to the labours of their hands,
and crown them with success, so that they should once more see
Jerusalem in prosperity, and behold in Zion the beauty of holiness.
This promise is conveyed under images borrowed from the instruc-
tive scenes of agriculture. In the sweat of his brows the husband-
man tills his land, and casts the seed into the ground, where, for a
time, it lies dead and buried. A dark and dreary winter succeeds,
and all seems to be lost. But at the return of spring, universal
nature revives, and the once-desolated fields are covered with corn,
which, when matured by the sun's heat, the cheerful reapers cut
down, and it is brought home with triumphant shouts of joy. Here,
O disciple of Jesus, behold an emblem of thy present labour, and thy
future reward. Thou " sowest," perhaps, " in tears ;" thou doest thy
duty amidst persecution and affliction, sickness, pain, and sorrow ;
thou labourest in the church, and no account is made of thy labours;
no profit seems hkely to arise from them. Nay, thou must thyself
drop into the dust of death, and all the storms of that winter must
pass over thee until thy form shall be perished, and thou shalt see
corruption. Yet the day is coming when thou shalt " reap in joy ;"
and plentiful shall be thy harvest. For thus thy blessed Master
" went forth weeping, a man of sorrows, and acquainted wnth grief,
bearing precious seed," and sowing it around him, till at length his
own body was buried, like a grain of wheal, in the furrow of the
grave. But he arose, and is now in heaven ; from whence he " shall
doubtless come again with rejoicing," with the voice of the archangel
and the trump of God, "bringing his sheaves with him." Then
shall every man receive the fruit of his works, and have praise of
God.
PSALM CXXVII.
ARGUMENT.— If this Psalm were written by Solomon, or by David for Solomon,
as the title importeth, it was probably used again at the time of rebuilding the city
and temple, after the return from Babylon. But indeed it is a Psahn which caa
lO-'O
478
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
never be out of season, the design of its author being to teach us the necessity of a
dependence upon God and his blessing, in every work to which we set our hands.
"What is said with regard to an earthly house, city, and family, extendeth also to the
spiritual house, city, and family of Christ, which are now, what Jerusalem, the
temple, and the people of Israel, were iu old time.
1. Except the Lord buUd the house, they labour in vain thai build it : ex-
cept the Lord keefp the city, the watchman wakelh but in vain.
In every undertaking, the blessing of God must accompany the
labours of man, to render them effectual. No work can prosper
without him, nor can any design miscarry under his favour and
protection, which are equally necessary to be obtained by the builder
in time of peace, and by the soldier in time of war. But they, above
ail men, ought to implore the divine grace and benediction, who are
employed either in building or defending the spiritual house and city
of God ; especially as the same persons, like the Jews after the cap-
tivity, surrounded by enemies always ready to obstruct the work, are
often obliged to hold a sword in one hand, while they build with the
other. Our own edification in faith and holiness must likewise be
carried on by us in this attitude, by reason of the many temptations
which are continually assailing us. It may also be remarked, that
both Solomon and Zerubbabel had vainly laboured to construct the
first or the second material temple, unless Jehovah himself had built
the true house for the reception of his glory, that is to say, the temple
of Christ's body, and, after it was fallen down, had reared it again
by a resurrection from the dead.
2. It is vain for you to rise tip early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sor-
rows : for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
The Psalmist doth not, certainly, intend to say, that labour and
diligence are vain, but that they are so, except the Lord be with the
labourer : the business is not to be done by all the industry and pains,
all the carking and caring in the world, without him ; whereas, if
his aid be called in, if part of our time be spent in prayer, not the
whole of it in prayerless toiling and moiling, our work will become
easier, and go on better; a solicitude and anxiety for its success and
completion will no longer prey upon our minds by day, and break
our rest at night ; we shall cheerfully fulfil our daily tasks, and then,
with confidence and resignation, lay our heads upon our pillows,
and God will "give to his beloved" a sweet and undisturbed "sleep"
which shall fit them to return every morning, with renewed vigour
and alacrity, to their stated employments. This seemeth to be the
import of the verse. An obscurity has been occasioned in the trans-
lations, by rendering the adverb p so; "so he giveth his beloved
sleep;" in which form, this last part of the verse will not connect
with what goes before. But if p be translated, like its kindred par-
ticle, pK, "surely* he giveth his beloved sleep ;" or, as Dr. Hammond
renders it, "since he giveth his beloved sleep," the difiiculty will
* This is the second of the senses given to this particle by Noldins, who cites, in
confirmation of it, 1 Sam. ix. 13 ; 1 Kings xx. 40.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 479
vanish, and the sense appear to be as above. Nor can we easily
find a more profitable piece of instruction, with regard to the manage-
ment of all our concerns, temporal and spiritual.
3. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of tlue womb is
his reward.
The labours of mankind, first in building houses and cities, and
then in guarding and securing their possessions, are undergone, not
with a view to themselves alone, but to their families, which they
would establish and perpetuate. The Psalmist, therefore, in the
preceding verses, having taught men to expect a happy settlement
only from the favour of Jehovah, now directs them to look up to
him for the further blessing of a numerous and virtuous progeny.
He can in a moment blast the most fruitful stock, or he can " make
the barren woman to keep house, and to become a joyful mother of
children." " Lo, children are an heritage of Jehovah ;" an heritage
which he bestows on those who fear him ; " the fruit of the womb
is a reward" conferred by him, where he sees it will be a blessing
indeed, upon faithful and pious parents. St. Paul calls the converts
made by his ministry his " children ;" and all believers are the
children;" of Christ, the "heritage" given him by his Father, the
" reward" of his righteous life, and meritorious death ; as it is
written, " I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance :" " He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." Psalm ii.
8; Isa. liii. 11.
4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man ; so are children of the
youth.
Children, when well educated, are like so many "arrows in the
hand of a strong man," ready winged with duty and love, to fly to
the mark ; polished and keen, to grace and maintain the cause of
their parents, to defend them from hostile invasions, and instantly
to repel every assailant. The apostles and first Christians were ar-
rows in the hand of Messiah, with w^hich he encountered his ene-
mies, and subdued the nations to the faith. When by the splendour
of their sanctity, the power of their miracles, and the efficacy of their
preaching, they pierced the hearts of thousands and ten thousands,
what were they but "arrows in the hand of t^:, the Mighty One?"
And in this instance hkewise, it may truly be said, that no well-
nurtured son of Christ and the church will hear his father dishon-
oured, or despise his mother when she is old.
5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them : they shall not he
ashamed^ hut they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
In a house full of dutiful children consisteth the happiness of their
parents, who then can never want friends ; friends, that will at no
time be "ashamed," but will at all times rejoice to appear for them,
to meet their " enenjies" and accusers " in the gate," or place of judg-
ment ;* there to answer any charge against them, to vindicate them
* Mr. Merrick observes, that the gate was sometimes the seat of war, as well as the
480 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
in their persons, their good name, or their property. It is a glorious
sight to behold children thus standing forth in the defence of their
parents. In the multitude of true believers consist the glory of
Christ, and the riches of the church. How forward were the primi-
tive Christians to meet the enemies of these their spiritual parents
*' in the gate ;" how ready, in their cause, to speak openly, and hav-
ing witnessed a good confession, to die by the hand of the execu-
tioner ! Therefore shall they not be ashamed at the judgment of
the last day, but shall then stand with great boldness before the face
of such as have afflicted, persecuted, and tormented them. For their
heavenly Father will then be their Judge, and will own, in his turn,
the cause of his dutiful children, who for his sake endured tribula-
tion, and loved not their lives unto the death. Confusion shall over-
whelm the accuser of the brethren, with all the instruments of his
malice ; but glory, honour, and immortality shall be given to the
children of God.
PSALM CXXYIII.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth a promise made to him who, 1. feared Jeho-
vah, and walked in his ways, that he should be blessed, 2. in his person, and
3, 4. in his family, and that he should see the good of Jerusalem. The Psalm was,
probably, sung at the marriages of the Israelites, as it is now a part of the matrimo-
nial service among us. In its prophetical and exalted sense, it hath respect to the
person, marriage, family, and city of Messiah.
1. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord : that walketh in his ways.
Happiness belongeth not to the rich, the powerful, and the pros-
perous, as such ; but in every state and condition, blessed is the man
that " feareth Jehovah," that so feareth him as to obey him, and to
" walk in his ways," notwithstanding all the obstructions he may
meet with from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Blessed al)ove
all the sons of men, and the author of blessing to them all, was the
man Christ Jesus, because above them all, and for them all, he fear-
ed, he loved, and he obeyed.
2. For thou shall eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and
it shall be well with thee.
The person is here beautifully changed, and to the man who fear-
eth Jehovah is addressed an enumeration of those blessings which
shall attend him. He is to " eat the labour of his hands," that is,
the fruit, or returns of his labours. Hereby it is implied, that he is
not to be idle, but to " labour," that he may eat ; that he is not to
be niggardly, but to " eat," when he has laboured ; that he is neither
to be unjust, by living upon the labours, nor enslaved, by depending
upon the bounty of others, but to eat of " his own" labours ; and that
place of judicature. " Then was war in the gates ;" Judges, v. 8. He mentions a
remarkable Chinese proverb : " When a son is born into a family, a bow and arrow are
hung before the gate."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 481
he, whose labours procure him a sustenance, hath enough to be
" blessed" and happy. " Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well
with thee :" every thing shall happen, which God seeth to be best
for thee in this life, and (as saith the Chaldee paraphrast on the
place) " it shall be good to thee in the world to come." The glory
of Christ, and the salvation of mankind, were the fruits of his ac-
tions and his sufferings in the days of his flesh ; so that, in the
enjoyment of them, he doth no more than " eat of the labours of his
hands ;" or, to use the words of Isaiah, " he seeth of the travail of his
soul, and is satisfied." Before he went hence, he took comfort in
the reflection, " I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do." John. xvii. 4. Happy shalt
thou be, O Christian, and it shall be well with thee, if at thy lat-
ter end thou shalt be able to draw comfort from the same consider-
ation.
3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house : thy
children like olive plants round about thy table.
Marriage w^as ordained by God to complete the felicity of man in
a state of innocence ; and the benediction of heaven will ever de-
scend upon it, when undertaken in " the fear of the Lord." The
vine, a lowly plant, raised with tender care, becoming, by its luxuri-
ancy, its beauty, its fragrance, and its clusters, the ornament and
glory of the house to which it is joined, and by which it is sup-
ported, forms the finest imaginable emblem of a fair, virtuous, and
faithful wife. The olive-trees planted by the inhabitants of the
eastern countries around their tables, or banquetting places in their
garden,* to cheer the eye by their verdure, and to refresh the body
by their cooling shade, do no less aptly and significantly set forth the
pleasure which parents feel, at the sight of a numerous and flourish-
ing offspring. As marriage was from the beginning intended to rep-
resent the mystical union between Christ and his church, which
union is spoken of in matrimonial language, through the Scriptures
both of the Old and New Testament, we need but extend our view,
to behold, under the imagery of the vine and the olive-plants, the
prolific spouse of Messiah, and the children of peace assembled round
the table of their heavenly Father. See Psalm Ixxx. 8; Rom.
xi. 17.
4. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
Are temporal blessings, then, the reward of piety ? They are not
its only, nor chief reward, but are often " added," even under the
new dispensation, to those who " first seek the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness." When they are withholden, or withdrawn, it is
* This is Bishop Patrick's idea The learned and ingenious Mr. Harmer, in his very
valuable " Observations on divers Passages of Scripture," (vol. i. p. 197, 2d edit.) dis-
approves of it : as, he says, " we find no such arbours in the Levant, nor is the tree very
proper for the purpose." He thinks therefore the " table" refers to the " children" only,
and not to the " olives." But Mr. Merrick, in his Annotations, produces some very
good arguments on the side of Bishop Patrick.
482 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
for the security or increse of those more valuable blessings whicb'
are spiritual. There are times, when father, mother, brethren, sis-
ters, wife, children, and lands, must be given up for Christ's and the
gospel's sake. But ample amends are promised to be made to all
who thus part with earthly relations and possessions. They find
in the church other fathers, mothers, brethren, sisters, children, &c.
and at the resurrection they will " inherit all things," Rev. xxi. 7,
and brighter coronets of glory shall sparkle from their heads. The
Scriptures show us the servants of God in every state and condi-
tion ; we view them rich and poor, honoured and despised, sick and.
in health, married and single, childless and otherwise, in prosperity
and in adversity ; to teach us, that all things work together for good
to them who love God : so that the believer hath comfort always.
If temporal blessings be granted him, he accepteth them as shadows-
of those which are eternal ; if they are denied, he remembereth that
they are only shadows, and are therefore denied, that he may fix
his thoughts and affections more firmly on the substance.
5. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zign : and thou shall see the good of
Jerusalem^ all the days of thy life. 6. Yea, thou shall see thy children's^
children, and peace upon Israel.
Every true Israelite rejoiceth in the prosperity of Zion ; a bless-
ing upon the church diffuseth itself to all the members thereof;
and the good of Jerusalem, with peace upon Israel, is all the good
we can desire to see upon earth. Hereafter we shall see greater
things than these. Jehovah from the heavenly Zion will bless us
with the vision of his immortal glory ; we shall see the good of the-
new Jerusalem, the wealth, beauty, and majesty of that holy city;
we shall see the generations of the faithful walking in the light of
it ; with that everlasting peace and rest which remain for the Israel
of God. These are the blessings promised to Messiah, and to his;
seed, for evermore.
PSALM CXXIX.
ARGUMENT. — In the former part of this Psalm, 1 — 4. the church declareth herself
to have been often assailed and persecuted by her enemies, but as often rescued and
preserved by Jehovah ; in the latter part of it, 5 — 8. she predicteth the miserable end
of all those who hate Zion.
1. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say :
2. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth : yet they have not pre-
vailed against me.
Affliction is nothing new to the people of God. Many a time
have the righteous been under persecution, from the hour when Cain
rose up against his brother Abel, to this day. Like the bush which
Moses beheld in the desert, the church hath " burned with fire," but-
is not yet " consumed ;" and for the same reason, because God is ia
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. ^^^3
the midst of her.* He who took our nature upon him, was also
" afflicted from his youth," but his enemies " prevailed not finally
against him." And it is observable, that what God spake, by his
prophet Hosea, concerning Israel, " When Israel was a child, then I
loved him, and called my son out of Egypt," is by St. Matthew ap-
plied to Christ ; " Joseph took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Fgypt, and w^as there until the death of
Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was skoken by the prophet,
Out of Egypt have I called my son." Matt. ii. 14; Hos. xi. 1. The
truth is, that there subsisted between Christ and the church an union
like that between the head and the members of the same body ; they
are therefore called by the same name, Israel, and what is said con-
cerning one, frequently admitteth of an application to the other. He
became like us by taking our nature, and we become like him by
receiving his grace. Our sufferings are accounted as his ; and his
righteousness spoken of as ours.
3. The plowers plowed upon my back ; they made long their furrows,
4. The Lord is righteous : he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
The former of these two verses expresseth a state of great afflic-
tion, the latter, a dehverance from that state. The word uj-n, which
signifies to dig, or cut the ground, and so, to plow, is also used sim-
ply for cutting, carving, or graving ; see Exod. xxxv. 33 ; Jer. xvii. 1»
Being here applied to the back of captives, and cords having been
the instruments of it, in all reason it is to be understood of scourging,
which cuts, and, as it were, digs, and plows, and makes furrows in
the flesh ; and the longer the cord of the scourges are, the longer are
the wounds and furrows. For our sakes he who knew no sin " gave
his back to the smiters," Isa. 1. 6 ; and permitted those " plowers to
make long their furrows upon it." But "the righteous Lord cut
asunder the cords of the wicked ;" vengeance overtook the wretched
instruments of his sufferings ; and the persecutors of his servants
shall perish in like manner, as the Psalmist proceedeth to assure us
in the verses following.
5. Let them all, or, they all shall, be confounded and turned back that hate
Zion.
Since the ways of God are equal, the destruction which hath
lighted on former persecutors of the church affordeth an assurance,
that all in every age, who hate Zion, shall, at the day of final retri-
bution, if not before that day, feel the weight of his arm, who is the
Saviour, the King, and the God of Zion.
6. Let them, or, they shall, be as the grass upon the house-tops, which vnth-
ereth afore itgroweihup: Heb. is pulled up * Wherewith the mower filleth
* Ecclesia jam inde ab initio in Abel, in Enoch, in Noe, in Abraham, in Lot, in
Eg^yptidcft. servitute, in Moyse, et Prophetis, graves perpessa inimicos : dicit ilia
quidem saepe a juventute se fuisse oppugnatam ; nihilo tamen seciiis pervenisse ad
senectntem, ac ne m senectute quidem opprimi posse. Victus enim qui seeviebat, vicit
qui sufferebat. — Bossuet.
t Mr, Harmer takes the idea of t^e Psalmist to be, " Which withereth before it UIH
aheaths its ear." — Observ. 11, 463.
484 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
not his hand : nor he that bindeth sfieaves his bosom. 8. Neither do they
which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you : we bless you in the
Tiame of the Lord.
The transient prosperity of mortal man is often in sacred writ
compared to grass, the history of which is contained in these few
words, " It Cometh up, and is cut down." But here the comparison
is carried still further. Not the common grass in the field, but
" grass growing on the house-tops," is selected to convey the idea of
bad men ; grass, which having no depth of earth, into which it may
strike its roots, doth not wait the hand of the gatherer, but " wither-
eth" even " before it is plucked up." And then, so thin, so wretched,
and so unprofitable is the crop, that none are employed to collect and
carry it in ; none to whom passengers might address those acclama-
tions and salutations, customary at such times, as " The Lord be with
you, bless you," (fee. Ruth ii. 4. Thus, while the felicity of Zion's
children is rooted and grounded in Christ, that of her enemies hath
no foundation at all. While the church subsisteth from generation
to generation, the kingdoms and empires that have persecuted her,
fade and wither away of themselves. And at the general harvest
of the world, when the righteous shall be carried by angels, with
joyful acclamations, into the mansions prepared for them above, the
wicked, unregarded by the heavenly reapers, and unblessed by all,
shall become fuel for a fire that goeth not out ; resembhng in this
their sad end, likewise, that worthless grass, " which to-day is, and
to-morrow is cast into the oven."
PSALM CXXX.
ARGUMENT— This is the sixth of those which are styled " Penitential Psalms." It is
calculated for the use of the church, or any member thereof; and coiitaineth, 1, 2. a
complaint of great distress ; 3. a confession of man's sinfulness : 4 — 8. an act of faith
in the divine mercy, and the promised redemption.
. 1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. 2. Lord, hear my
voice : let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
From the depth of sin, and the misery occasioned by sin, the peni-
tent, like another Jonas, entombed in the whale's belly, and sur-
rounded by all the waves of the ocean, crieth unto God for help and
salvation. Fervent prayer will find its way, through every obstruc-
tion, to the ears of him who sitteth upon his holy hill. And may
not the bodies of the faithful, •buried in the dust, be said to cry, out
of the depths of the grave, for a joyful resurrection, according to the
promise and the pattern of Christ, who, after three days, came forth
from the heart of the earth, as Jonas did from the belly of the
whale ?
3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities^ O Lord, who shall stand ?
A reason is here urged, why God should spare and pardon the
suppliant, namely, because, was he accurately to note the offences of
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 485
the best men, and to produce them in judgment against the offend-
ers, no man could stand in that judgment, but the wiiole race of
Adam must continue to eternity under the dominion of sin and
death ; which a gracious and merciful God will not permit to be the
case. It is accordingly declared in the next verse, that measures
had been taken to prevent so deplorable a catastrophe.
4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may est he feared.
True repentance is founded upon the sense of our own wretched-
ness, and faith in the divine mercy. Without the former, we should
never seek for pardon and grace ; without the latter, we should de-
spair of finding them. The Psalmist, therefore, having in the three
preceding verses expressed the one, now maketh profession of the
other. " There is forgiveness with thee ;" thou wilt not " mark ini-
quities," or leave us to the rigours of strict justice, but thou hast de-
vised means that we perish not for ever; thou hast provided an
atonement, and in virtue of that atonement, the sinner may obtain
pardon ; he need not, therefore, reject thy service, and cast himself
away in despair, but is encouraged to serve thee acceptably through
faith, with godly fear : " there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may-
est be feared." Or the meaning may be. Thou forgivest man, that
so, being restored to thy favour, and endued with thy grace, he may
thenceforth fear, or serve thee, as it becomes one who hath obtained
mercy to do.
5. / wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do 1 hope.
6. My soul waiteth/or the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning:
I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
The repetitions here do beautifully express that ardent desire
which the contrite soul hath for the salvation of God. Dr. Ham-
mond seemeth to have given the true construction of ver. 6,
•'jnN^ ^bd;, " My soul to the Lord, that is, riseth, cometh, or hasteneth
to the Lord, ^p^b o^inicj^ from the morning watches, that is, from the
time when they hasten to their watches, in other words, the guards
. every morning that hasten to their watches, are not earlier than I
am in my daily addresses to God. Who these watches or guards
of the morning are, the Chaldee hath best expressed : They that
observe the morning watches, that they may offer their morning
oblation, that is, the priests which in their turns officiated ; or rather,
some officers of theirs, which were peculiarly appointed from a tower
to expect the first appearance of break of day." With such earnest-
ness did the ancient church expect the appearance of that day-spring
from on high, which was, in the fulness of time, to visit the world.
With equal earnestness have the faithful since looked out for the
dawning of that last morning, which is to abolish sin, and put an
end to sorrow\
7. Let Israel hope in the Lord : for with the Lord there is mercy, and with
him is plenteous redemption. 8. And he shall redeem Isi^ael from all his
iniquities, or, sins.
These verses are perfectly evangelical. The church of Israel
486 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
was exhorted to " hope" in Jehovah, because ^yith him there was
" mercy, and plenteous redemption." And of what nature was that
redemption ? A redemption from sin ; '• he shall redeem Israel
from all his sins ;" consequently, from all trouble and misery, which
are but the effects of sin, and will cease when their cause shall be
finally taken away. Now what is this, but the gospel itself? or
where is the difference between this of the Psalmist, " he shall re-
deem Israel from all his sins," and that of the Evangelist, " Thou
shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their
sins ?" Matt. i. 21. The Israel of God, or church universal,
*' hoping" in the same " mercy" and the same " plenteous redemp-
tion," expecteth the full accomplishment of this gracious promise, at
the second advent of her Saviour, when the penalty of sin shall be
taken off and death be swallowed up in victory.
PSALM CXXXI.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1, 2. a description of true humility, and resig-
nation to the will of God, with, 3. an exhortatioa to the practice thereof. It is most
probably a Psalm of David, and is eminently applicable to Messiah, in his state of
liumiliation on earth. Happy would it be for the world, if all his disciples could im-
bibe the spirit of this short but lovely Psalm, and copy after the example which it
setteth before them.
1. Lord, my heart is not haughty^ nor mine eyes lofty : neither do I exercise
myself in great matters^ or in things too high for me.
Pride beginneth in the "heart," and discovereth itself in the
" eyes," the countenance, and the carriage ; thinking nothing " too
high for it," it is always aiming at still "great matters," scheming to
be at the top of earthly grandeur ; and, when there, restless because
it can go no further. Of this disposition the Son of David, like his
father and representative of old, was by his enemies affirmed to be ;
he was accused of affecting the sovereignty, and therefore hunted
and persecuted even to the death. But how truly do these words of
the Psalmist dehneate his real character ! He- was not " haughty,"
but " meek and lowly in heart ;" his " eyes" were not " lofty," but
kindly regarded the meanest object that presented itself to them ;
he looked not to " great matters," and " high things," but chose to
be, and to be esteemed, the least and lowest of all.
2. Surely I have behaved, or, subdued, and quieted myself as a child that is
weaned of his mother : my soul is even as a weaned child.
A child newly weaned mourneth because of the favourite aliment
which is withdrawn from him, but depending absolutely on the
mother for every thing, learneth to acquiesce in her treatment of
him, and quietly to accept what it shall please her to give. Such
was the humble resignation of the Lamb of God to the will of his
heavenly Father, under the severest dispensations, when even the
divine presence, and that support which it afforded, seemed to have
been withdrawn : " Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit !"
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 487
Who, then, can expect to enter into the kingdom of heaven " except
he be converted, and become as a little child ?" Matt, xviii. 3.
3. Let Israel hope in the hord from henceforth and for ever.
After the example, therefore, of the King of Israel, who thus de-
.meaned himself in his afflictions, lowly, contented, and resigned,
casting all his care upon the Father who cared for him, and patiently-
waiting his time for deliverance and salvation ; after this their ex-
ample and pattern, let his faithful people hope and trust, not ia
-themselves, their wisdom, or their power, but in Jehovah alone, who
will not fail to exalt them, as he hath already exalted their Re-
deemer, if they do but follow his steps.
TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CXXXII.
ARGUMENT. — This is one of the proper Psalms, which the church hath appointed to
be used on Christmas-day. It containeth, 1 — 5. a petition that Jehovah would be
mindful of the zeal shown by Iiis servant David, in preparing a place for his hab-
itation ; 6. the exultation of the faithul upon hearing the glad tidings, th^ God would
dwell among them ; and 7. their resolution to worship at the place which he had
chosen for that purpose ; 8 — 10. an address to Jehovah, used by Solomon at the dedi-
cation of the temple, whence some have thought him to have been the author of the
Psalm ; 11 — 18. the substance of God's promises made to David and to his seed. The
whole Psalm is perfectly well adapted to the festival of the incarnation, as the follow-
ing comment will, it is hoped, abundantly demonstrate.
1. Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions.
Israel beseecheth Jehovah to be mindful of those sorrows and suf-
ferings which had been undergone by his servant David, ere he at-
' tained to the throne, and estabhshed the ancient church in the beauty
ofhohness. That God would "remember" the far greater "afflic-
tions" sustained for our sake by Messiah in the days of his humilia-
tion, when, through much tribulation, he accomplished our redemp-
'^tion, and entered into his glory, is the petition preferred, in these
words, by us Christians.
2. How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob!
3. Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my
' bed; 4. I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, 5. Until I
find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
In all circumstances and situations, David was solicitous for the
tabernacle and service of God. Of the oath and vow here mentioned,
we have, indeed, no account in the sacred history ; but we read,
'2 Sam. vii. 2, of the uneasiness which he expressed to Nathan the
prophet, at the thought of his dwelling in a palace of cedar, while
the ark of God dwelt only within the curtains of a tent. Nay, we
find, by 1 Chron. xvi. 43, that he did not bless, and consequently
did not inhabit his own house, until he had brought the ark to Zion,
where the temple was afterwards erect^. He could take neither
488 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
pleasure nor rest, until a place was prepared for the residence of Je-
hovah in the midst of his people : and from thenceforth he gave him-
self, with unwearied dihgence, to lay in a plentiful store of the most
costly materials, silver, gold, and precious stones, which were em-
ployed by his son and successor Solomon, in constructing the mag-
nificent and mystic edifice. Thus, in the covenant of grace, did the
Son of God engage not to take possession of his heavenly palace,
nor to enter into his eternal rest, until he had prepared upon the
earth a place for the residence of the Lord ; a building framed of
materials more precious than gold and silver, more bright and beauti-
ful than rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. AH this was planned and
executed by one and the same person, who first suffered in meek-
ness and patience, like David, then reigned in glory and peace, hke
Solomon. The behever should spare no pains, no time, no thought^
to find out and prepare in his heart an habitation for the God of
Jacob, since our Lord hath graciously vouchsafed to make this gen-
eral promise to us all, "If a man love me, my Father will love him,,
and Ave will come unto him, and make our abode with him." John
xiv. 23.
6. Lo^ we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
In other words, as Bishop Patrick hath paraphrased this verse,
"And now, behold, the Lord himself, to our great joy, hath told us
the very place where he will fix his habitation," 1 Chron. xxi. 18, 26,
in the territory of Bethlehem Ephrata,* Gen. xxxv. 13, 19, in the
fields of that forest, where the angel stood and directed David to
build an altar to the Lord :" 1 Chron. xxi. 18. xxii. 1. Bethlehem
Ephratah was the city of David ; it was likewise the city wherein
the Son of David was born, as the prophet Micah hath foretold :
"And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among
the cities of Judah, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall
rule my people Israel," Micah v. 2, cited by the chief priests and
scribes to Herod, Matt. ii. 6. Christians, as well as Jews, may there-
fore say, and upon the festival of Christ's nativity, using this Psalm,
they do say, " Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah :" for there the angel
first proclaimed the news of the incarnation to the shepherds : " Be-
hold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all peo-
ple ; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ, the Lord:" Luke ii. 10. There was "found" the
true tabernacle and temple, " not made with hands, the place for Je-
hovah, the habitation for the mighty God of Jacob."
7. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool
If this were the resolution of Israelites, who saw the incarnation
only in type and figure, how much more ought it to be ours, who
live since the accomplishment of that which was foreshown ; since
* Jerusalem, as Mr. Merrick observes from Geierus, being situated not far from
Bethlehem, might be comprehended in the region of Ephrata ; or nn^BNi, may be ren-
dered " near Ephrata."
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 489
the Word, made flesh, hath dwelt upon the earth, and the church
hath been erected among the nations '? If they worshipped the God
of Israel, who then dwelt in the holy of holies between the cheru-
bim, shall not we worship the same divine person, who, though
ascended up on high above all heavens, yet hath assured us, that
where two or three are gathered together in his name, there is he in
the midst of them ?
8. Arise^ O Lord, into thy rest ; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
When the ark marched before the children of Israel to find out a
resting-place, it is recorded. Numb. x. 35, 36, that Moses said, "Rise
up, Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that
hate thee flee before thee ;" and when it rested, he said, " Return, or
bring back, the many thousands of Israel." The verse before us
was used, with the two succeeding verses, by Solomon, as the con-
clusion of his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 2 Chron. vi. 41.
The purport of the petition, therefore, was, that the presence of Jeho-
vah might rest upon Zion, and dwell in the house prepared for it, as
the same presence hath since dwelt in Christ, and is to be w^ith the
Christian church to the end of the world.
9. Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout
with joy.
The ark being placed in the temple, prayer is next made for the
ministers of religion, that they might, through grace, be invested with
righteousness as with a garment, and be both covered and adorned
with a robe of inviolable sanctity ; that spiritual joy might fill their
hearts, and break forth in songs of praise to the Lord God of Israel.
Let not those who have obtained the evangelical priesthood, be ex-
ceeded by the sons of Levi, in holiness and alacrity.
10. For thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of thine anointed.
Solomon beseecheth God, for the sake of his favourite servant
David, and the promises made to him and his seed, that he would
not deny the request of David's son, now " anointed" to be king
over Israel, and, by so doing confound, put him to shame, or " turn
away his face." That this is the meaning of the phrase is plain
from 1 Kings, ii. 16, where Adonijah says to Bathsheba, " And now
I ask one petition of thee, deny me not ;" in the Hebrew, '• turn not
away my face." A Christian asketh nothing but in the name, and
for the sake of the Son of David, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom
all the promises are yea and amen, and in whom whosoever be-
lieveth shall never be confounded, or denied that which is really good
and profitable for him to receive.
11. The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it :
Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
That this is a prophecy of Messiah we have the authority of St.
Peter to say. Acts, ii. 30 : " David, being a prophet, and knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his
loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his
490 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
throne/' &c. This promise to David occurs, 2 Sam. vii. 12, and
hath a twofold sense, relating to Solomon in type and shadow, to
Ohrist in truth and substance. See more on Ps. Ixxxix. 3, 4.
12. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall
teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
The promises of God to Christ are absolute ; but to his "children,"
as well as those of David, they are conditional ; so that our interest
in them dependeth on our faith, our obedience, our perseverance.
^' Behold," saith St. Paul, " the goodness and severity of God : on
them which fell, severity ; but towards thee, goodness, if thou con-
tinue in that goodness ; otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off." Rom.
xi. 22.
13. For the Lord hath chosen Zion : he hath desired it for his habitaiion,
14. This is my rest for ever : here will J dwell ; for I have desired it.
How ineffable is the love of God to man, that he should use such
expressions as these concerning his church ! He is pleased to say,
that it is his desire to dwell with us ; yet how little do we desire to
dwell with him ! In Zion he fixed his abode, and there continued,
till the iniquities of Israel provoked him to forsake his holy mount-
ain, and to give up Jerusalem for a prey to the spoilers. Since that
time, his tabernacle has been removed into the possession of the
Gentiles. Forsake not this thy new Zion, O God, and deliver us
not, thy people, in like manner, sinful as we are, into the hands of
the enemy and the avenger.
15. / will abundantly bless her provision : J will satisfy her poor with bread.
16. / will also clothe her priests with salvation : and her saints shall shout
aloud for joy.
That city in which the King of heaven deigns to place his throne,
can want no manner of thing that is good. There will be always
plenty of provision for the body and for the soul. The poor will be
satisfied with bread, and to the poor in spirit will be given the bread
of eternal life. Salvation will God appoint for a wall and a bulwark
around the priests and the temple ; joy and gladness shall be heard
within, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. What a dreadful
reverse of all this do we behold in the present state of the once
glorious, but now desolated, Jerusalem ! Let not any Christian
church, after what has happened to that city, be high-minded, but
let all fear.
17. TTiere will I make the horn of David to bud : I have ordained a lamp
for mine anointed.
Bishop Patrick hath well paraphrased this verse : " There, namely,
in Jerusalem, will I make the regal power and majesty of David to
put forth itself afresh in his royal successors : no sooner shall one
be extinguished, but another shall shine in such splendour as shall
give a lustre to the name of that anointed servant of mine, till the
great prince, the Messiah, appear ;" then will the horn of salvation
be raised up in the house of David, to subdue the empires of the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 49*.
world, and to vanquish all opposition; then shall the branch of
Jehovah bud into beauty and glory upon the earth ; then shall the
lamp of Israel become a sun of righteousness, burning and shining
with lustre inextinguishable, to all eternity. That this verse doth
mystically refer to Christ, the Jews confess, as Dr. Hammond has
observed. So saith R. Saadiah, " The lamp is the king, which
illuminates the nations :" and Kimchi, " The horn of David, is the
Messias."
18. His enemies will 1 clothe with shame : hut upo7i himself shall his crown
flourish.
It is here predicted, that God would blast and bring to nothing
«very design formed to destroy the house of David, until King Mes-
siah should arise out of it, to sit upon the throne of his father. In
him all the promises centre, and the kingdom is established for ever:
" His enemies," who will not have him to reign over them, shall, at
the last day, be " clothed with shame," and everlasting confusion ;
"but upon himself shall his crown flourish," filling heaven and earth
with the brightness of its glory.
PSALM CXXXIII.
ARGUMENT. — This short but pleasing Psalm was composed either to recommend
unity among the tribes of Israel, or to celebrate it when it had taken placffe. Bishop
Patrick justly observes, that " it was as fitly used by the first Christians, to express
their joy for the blessed union of Jews and Gentiles ; and may now serve the uses
of all Christian societies, whose happiness lies in holy peace and concord." It con-
taineth, 1. a rapturous exclamation on the comforts and advantages of union, which,
2, 3. are illustrated by the two exquisite similitudes of the holy anointing oil and of
dew.
1. Behold^ how good and how 'pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together
in unity
Many things are good which are not pleasant : and many pleasant
which are not good. But unity among brethren, whether civil or
religious, is productive both of profit and pleasure. Of profit, be-
cause therein consisteth the welfare and security of every society ;
of pleasure, because mutual love is the source of delight, and the
happiness of one becomes, in that case, the happiness of all. It is
unity alone which gives beauty as well as strength to the state ;
which renders the church, at the same time, " fair as the moon, and
terrible as a^ army with banners." Cant. vi. 10.
2. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron? s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments /
3. .4.9 the dew of Herman,* and as the dew that descended upon the mount-
ains of Zion : for there the jjord commanded the blessing, even life for ever-
more.
" Unity, beginning in the prince and diffused through the people,
* Bishop Lowth seemeth fully to have justified our translators in supplying the ellipsis
as they have done, and thereby removing the absurdity of making the dew of Hermon,
492 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
is here illustrated," saith Doctor Delany, " by two images, the most
apt and beautiful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are consid-
ered as bodies politic, of which the king is the head, and the people,
in their several ranks and orders, the parts and members. A spirit
of union beginning upon the prince, whose person is sacred, is like
oil poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends, and
spreads itself over all the parts of the body, and diffuses beauty and
fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the skirts of the garment.
Oil is, without question, the finest emblem of union that ever was
conceived. It is a substance consisting of very small parts, which
yet, by their mutual adhesion, constitute one uniform, well united,
and useful body. The sacred oil carries the idea and the advantage
of union yet further ; which being extracted from various spices, yet
made up one well cohering and more valuable compound. The
next image carries the exhortation to union, and the advantages of
it, still higher. Hermon was the general name of one mountain,
comprehending many lesser and lower hills, under the surround of
a greater. Union in any nation is the gift of God ; and therefore
unity among brethren, beginning from the king, is like the dew of
heaven, which falling first upon the higher summit of Hermon, (re-
freshing and enriching wherever it falls,) naturally descends to Zion,
a lower ; and thence even to the humble valleys. Zion was the
centre of union to all the tribes ; there God himself had promised
his people rest, and peace from their enemies ; which, however, were
of little value without union and harmony among themselves."*
Thus far this learned and pious author, whose explanation of the
Psalmist's imagery, as descriptive of civil unity in the state, is so
just and elegant that I could not forbear transcribing the passage at
length. It only remains to be added, that these divine pictures re-
ceive an additional beauty, and the colouring is much heightened,
by their being viewed in another light, as representations of spiritual
unity in the church. The spirit of heavenly love was that oil of
gladness which Jehovah poured without measure on him who is
the high-priest and head of his church. Insinuating and healing,
comforting and exhilarating, it is difflised from him over his body
mystical, even down to the least and lowest members ; " of his ful-
ness have we all received ;" and, as it is said of Mary's box of spike-
nard in the Gospel, •' the house is filled with the odour of the oint-
ment." Nor did the dew of heaven, in time of drought, ever prove
more refreshing and beneficial to the mountains of Judah, than are
the influences of grace, when descending in soft silence from above
upon the church ; in the union and communion of whicli God hath
" commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." O, come the
day when division shall cease, and enmity be done av\^ay ; when
the tribes of the spiritual Israel shall be united in a bond of eternal
charity, under the true David, in the Jerusalem which is above ; and
saints and angels shall sing this lovely Psalm together !
a mountain on one side of Jordan, towards the eastern extremity of Canaan, descend oa
the mountain of Zion, which was situated on tlie other side of Jordan, at Jerusalem.
* Life of King David, vol. iii. p. 204.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 493
PSALM CXXXIV.
AGRUMENT.— "With this Psalm Christains in the church, like the Levites of old in
the temple, 1, 2. call upon each other to bless God, and 3. upon God to bless them all.
1. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night
stand in the house of the Lord. 2. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and
bless the Lord.
The first word in this verse, " Behold," seemeth to point at the
reasons which the priests in the temple had to bless Jehovah ; as if
it had been said. Behold, the house of God is built, the holy services
are appointed, and the Lord hath g-iven you rest from your enemies,
that you may serve him acceptably ; set about it, therefore, with
gratitude and alacrity. We read, 1 Chron. ix. 33, that the Levitical
singers were " employed in their work day and night ;" to the end,
doubtless, that the earthly sanctuary might bear some resemblance
of that above, where, St. John tells us, the redeemed " are before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in the temple." Rev.
vii. 15. Christians are the redeemed of the Lord, redeemed from
the guilt and dominion of sin, delivered out of the hands of their
enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, that they may become
the servants of Christ. He hath built his church, and in it he wills
that men pray, hfting up holy hands, and that they offer the sacri-
fices of thanksgiving. " Behold," therefore, " bless the Lord Jesus,
all ye servants of his ;" bless him in the cheerful and busy hours of
day ; bless him in the solemn and peaceful watches of the night ;
making melody, even then, in your hearts at least, if not with your
voices. The pious Mr. Nicholas Farrer exhibited, in the last centu-
ry, an instance of a Protestant family, in which a constant course
of psalmody was appointed, and so strictly kept up, that through
the whole four and twenty hours of day and night, there was no
portion of time, when some of the members were not employed in
performing that most pleasant part of duty and devotion. The^-
reader may see the curious life of this extraordinary person, as
drawn up by Dr. Turner, Bishop of Ely, in the Christian Maga-
zine, vol. ii. p. 356.
3. The Lord that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion.
The two preceding verses, as Mr. Mudge observes, seem directed
to the priests of the temple, by some person, probably of conse-
quence, come up to pay his devotion. This third verse is therefore
returned, as from the priests. And thus it is that prayer and praise,
which by grace are caused to ascend from our hearts to God, will
certainly return in the benedictions of heaven upon our souls and
bodies, our persons and our famihes, our church and our country,
like the vapours, which, exhaled by the warmth of the sun from the
bowels of the earth, mount upwards into the air, but soon fall again
in fruitful showers, causing the httle hills to rejoice, and the valleys
to laugh and sing.
494 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM CXXXV.
ARGUMENT. — In this Psalm, 1, 2. the servants of Jehovah are exhorted to praise
him, 3. on account of his goodness; of the pleasure to be found in the employment;^
4. of the peculiar mercies shown to Israel ; 5. of his infinite superiority over the gods of
the nations, manifested, 6, 7. in the works of creation, 8 — 14. in his dealings with the
church, and with her adversaries. 15 — 18. The folly of idolatry, and of those who
practise it, is described ; and 19 — 21. Israel is again stirred up to praise Jehovah.
1. Praise ye tlie Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord : praise him, O ye
servants of the Lord ; 2. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts
of the house of our God. 3. Praise the hord; for the Lord is good: sing
praises unto his name ; for it is pleasant.
All the servants of God, they, more especially, who minister in
the temple, are repeatedly, as in the foregoing Psalm, excited to
praise their blessed Master. Two reasons are assigned why they
should do this. First, the goodness of that Master, and secondly,
the pleasantness of the employment. The latter of these reasons
hath a natural and necessary dependence on the former. A sense
of the divine mercy will tune our hearts and voices to praise. We,
who are upon earth, often find ourselves indisposed for the duty of
thanksgiving, because the concerns of the body, the cares and pleas-
ures of Hfe, extinguish, for a time, this sense in us, until grace,
prayer, and meditation render it again lively and active. In the
inhabitants of heaven, who behold God without the veil of matter
interposed, it is always so : and therefore they rest not day or night
from singing hallelujahs, nor cease one moment to rejoice in God
their Saviour.
4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar
treasure. 5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above
all gods.
A third reason why the children of Israel should praise the name
of Jehovah, was the circumstance of their having been selected from
among the nations to be his church, to receive the law and the
^promises, to have his presence residing in the midst of them, and to
be the guardians of the true faith and worship. And a fourth
reason, was the superiority of Jehovah their God over the gods of
the heathen, and consequently over those who worshipped them ;
from whence followed this comfortable inference, that he was able
to protect and to defend his people against every enemy that had
evil will to Zion. Shall not we Christians, then, praise the same
gracious Lord, who hath chosen us out of the world, who hath
given unto us his gospel, who dwelleth in us by his Spirit, and who,
by that Spirit, maketh us more than conquerors over our spiritual
adversaries?
6. Whatsoever the hord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the
seas, and all deep places.
The pre-eminence of Jehovah above the gods of the nations is
evinced by this consideration, that he, at the beginning, created and
formed those powers of nature, whose operations in the heavens, the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. '495
earth and the waters, led the heathen world, after it had lost the
knowledge of the Creator, to adore the creature as independent. Let
us praise him. who, in the intellectual as in the material world, is
Lord and King ; who is obeyed by the angels in heaven, served by
the church upon earth, and feared by the spirits imprisoned in deep
places beneath.
7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he makeih
lightnings for the rain ; he hringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
They who in old time paid their devotions to the elements, ima-
gined those elements to be capable of giving or withholding rain at
pleasure. Therefore we find the prophet Jeremiah reclaiming that
power to Jehovah, as the God who made and governed the world :
" Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause
rain ? or can the heavens give showers ? Art thou not he, O Jeho-
vah our God ? Therefore we will wait upon thee : for thou hast
made all things." Jer. xiv. 22. Among the Greeks and Romans
we meet with a Jupiter possessed of the thunder and the lightning,
and an iEolus ruling over the winds. The Psalmist teacheth us to
restore the celestial artillery to its rightful owner. Jehovah, the God
of Israel, and the Creator of the universe, contrived the wonderful
machinery of light and air, by which vapours are raised from the
earth, compacted into clouds, and distilled in rain. At his command
the winds are suddenly in motion, and as suddenly at rest again ;
we hear the sound, but cannot tell whence they come, or whither
they go ; as if they were taken from secret storehouses of the Al-
mighty, and then laid up till their service was required again. The
same idea God himself is pleased to give us in the book of Job,
where he describeth the instruments of his power, as so many
weapons of war in the arsenal of a mighty prince : " Hast thou
entered into the treasures of tt\e snow ? or hast thou seen the treas-
ures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted,
which scattereth the east wind upon the earth ? Who hath divided
a watercourse for the overflowing of waters ? or a way for the
lightning of thunder, to cause it to rain on the earth?" Job, xxxviii.
22, (fcc. It is a great instance of the divine wisdom and goodness,
that lightning should be accompanied by rain, to soften its rage, and
prevent its mischievous effects. Thus, in the midst of judgment,
does God remember mercy. The threatenings in his word against
sinners are like lightning ; they would blast and scorch us up, were
it not for his promises made in the same word to penitents, which,
as a gracious rain, turn aside their fury, refreshing and comforting
our affrighted spirits.
8. Who smote the first-born of Eg7/pt, both of man and beast. 9. Who
gent tokens and. wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and
upon all hi^ servants.
Egypt was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of
Israel and the gods of the heathen. The superiority of the former
496 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
over the latter was shown in every possible way by the miracles of
Mosesj which demonstrated all the powers of nature to be under the
dominion of Jehovah, and to act at his command ; so that, instead
of being able to protect, they were made to torment and destroy
their deluded votaries. See more on Psalm Ixxviii. 44, <fec. The
objects of a man's sin frequently become, in the end, the instruments
of his punishment.
10. TVho smote great nations, and slew mighty kings ; 11. Sihon king of
the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan :
12. And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
The victories gained by Israel over Sihon and Og, in their pas-
sage to Canaan, and afterwards over the idolatrous kings of that
country, are more proofs of the same point. For Israel therefore
conquered, because Jehovah fought for them, and put them in pos-
session of that good land, when the iniquity of its old inhabitants
was full, and cried to heaven for vengeance. The enemies we have
to encounter in our way to the promised inheritance, will also, if
vigorously opposed, fall before us. " The kingdom of heaven suf-
fereth violence, and the violent take it by force." But it is God who
fighteth for us, and with us, who giveth us the victory, and putteth
us in possession, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
13. TViy name, O Lord, endureth for ever ; and thy memorial, O Lord,
throughout all generations. 14. For the Lord will judge his people, and he
will repent himself concerning his servants.
By the destruction of Pharaoh, with his Egyptians, and by the
battles and victories of Joshua ; much more, by the overthrow of the
spiritual Pharaoh, with his infernal host, and by the battles and
victories of the true Joshua ; Jehovah hath gotten him glory, and
his name is magnified in the church from age to age. The people
whom he hath redeemed, may, indeed, for the chastisement of their
iniquities, be sometimes delivered into the hands of their enemies, and
oppressed by them. But it is only to show them their transgressions,
and lead them to repentance. When this effect is wrought, he is
always ready to " judge them," to plead and avenge their cause ;
he " repenteth him" of the evil, and averteth it ; he is entreated for
the land, and becometh gracious to his servants.
15. The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16. ' They have mouths, but they speak not ; eyes have they, but they see not.
17. They have ears, but they hear not ; neither is there any breath in their
mouths. 18. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that
trusteth in them.
In these verses is set forth the difference between the God of
Israel and the idols of the nations, as also between the worshippers
of each ; all tending to confirm the truth of what was asserted, ver.
5 : " I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all
gods." As the same words occur. Psalm cxv. 4, &c. the reader is
referred thither for the explication of them.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 497
19. Bless the Lord, O house of Israel : bless the Lord, O house of Aaron :
20. Bless the Lord, O house of Levi : ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21. Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise
ye the Lord.
He who proved himself superior to the objects of ancient idolatry,
is no less superior to every object on which deluded man can place
his affections. The Lord gave, and the Lord will take them away.
Let " the house of Israel," therefore, and " the sons of Aaron," the
church and the ministers thereof, let all who " fear the Lord," bless
and praise his holy name in the temple here below, until they shall
be admitted to do it for evermore, in that which is above.
TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXXXVL
-ARGUMENT. — This is a delightful hymn of praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah,
1 — 3, God of gods and Lord of lords, for the wonders, 4 — 9. of creation, 10 — 26. of prov-
idence, and grace ; which were probably celebrated in due order by one half of the
choir, while the other half, or perhaps the whole in full chorus, took up the burden
of each verse, " For his mercy endureth for ever!" a form of acknowledgment, as
Bishop Patrick observes, prescribed by David, 1 Chron. xvi. 41, to be used continually
in the divine service ; a form highly proper for creatures, and sinful creatures to use,
whose great employment it is now, and will be for ever, to magnify the mercy and
loving-kindness of their God.
1. O give thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever. 2. O give thanks unto the God of gods : for his mercy endureth
for ever. 3. O give thanks to the Lord of lords : for his mercy endureth /or
ever.
We are called upon to praise Jehovah, first, for his own essential
attributes ; then, for the exertion of those attributes in his works.
The attributes here mentioned are those of "goodness" and "power ;"
the one renders him willino-, the other able to save ; and what can
we desire more, but that he should continue to be so? Of this like-
wise we are assured, by contemplating the unchangeableness of his
nature. His disposition altereth not, and his kingdom none can take
from him : " his mercy endureth for ever."
4. To him who alone doeth great wonders : for his mercy endureth for
ever.
All the works of God are " wonderful," and speak him "alone"
to have been their author. The established course of the world is,
in reality, no less admirable than are those extraordinary interposi-
tions of omnipotence, whereby it hath been sometimes interrupted
and suspended ; though the latter, on account of their novelty, are
apt to affect us more than the former doth, which is ever before our
eyes, and therefore less regarded by us. How many of those for
whom the wonders of creation, providence, and redemption have
been wrought, think none of them worthy their attention ! Angels
admire and adore, where man will not deign to cast an eye, or em-
ploy a thought.
63
498 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
5. To him that by wisdom vuide the heavens: for his iiiercy endureth f(yr
ever. 6. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters : for his mercy..-
endureth for ever.
The lieavens above and tlie earth beneath declare tlie wisdom of
their great Maker, and proclaim aloud, to an intelligent ear, the di-
vinity of the hand that formed them. The heavens display the love-
of God to man ; the earth teaches the duty of man to God. Heaven
is glorious and gracious, earth verdant and fruitful. The bright-
and ample circumference of heaven, the variegated surface of the
earth, and the profusion of good things that distinguish the seasons,;,
contaminated as they all have been by man's transgression, even
now yield a prospect which annihilates all human grandeur. What
idea, then, are we to frame of those new heavens and earth, from
which sin and corruption are excluded, and where righteousness hath
fixed her eternal throne .^
7. To him that made great lights : for his mercy endureth /or ever : 8. The
mn to rule by day : for his mercy endureth /or ever. 9. Tlie moon and,
stars to rule by night : for his mercy endureth for ever.
Light is the life and soul of the universe, the noblest emblem of
the power and glory of God, who in the night season leaves not him-
self without witness, but gives us some portion of that hght reflected,
which by day we behold flowing from its great foundation in the
heart of heaven. Thy church and thy saints, O Lord, " are the
moon and the stars," which by the communication of doctrine,
and the splendour of example, guide our feet, while we travel
on in the night that hath overtaken us, waiting for the dawn of ever-
lasting day. Then we shall behold thy glory, and see thee as thoU'
art.
10. To him that sm.ote Egypt in their ftrst-boim : for his mercy endureth
for ever : \ 1. And brought out Israel from among them : for his mercy en-
dureth/or ever. 12. With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm : for
his mercy endureth for ever. 13. To him which divided the Red Sea into
parts: for his mercy endureth^br ever. 14. And made Israel to pass through
the midst of it : for his m-ercy endureth /or ever. 15. But overthrew Pharaoh
and his host in the Red Sea : for his mercy endureth for ever. 16. 7h him
which led his people through the wilderness : for his mercy endureth /or ever.
17. To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever.
18. And slew famous kings : for his mercy endureth />r ever. 19. Sihon king
of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever. 20. And Og the king of
Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever. 21. And gave their land for an
heritage : for his mercy endureth for ever. 22. Even an heritage unto Israel
his servant : for his mercy encUireth/or ever. 23. If ho remembered us in our
low estate : for his mercy endureth /or ever. 24. Aiid hath redeemed us from.
our enemies: for his mercy endureth /or ever.
From the works of creation, the Psalmist proceed? to those of provi--
dence and grace. He celebrates that mercy which rescued Israel
from oppression, brought them out of the house of bondage, divided*
the sea to make a way for them, supported and conducted tiiem through
a waste, howling wilderness, crushed the might and power of those
who opposed them, and at length settled them in the inheritance prom-^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 49^
ised to their fathers. Eternal mercy hath in. Christ Jesus reahzed all
these figures, and accomplished the great redemption, thus foreshad-
owed of old. The Israel of God hath been rescued from the oppression
of Satan, and brought out of the house of spiritual bondage. In the
waters of baptism the old man of sin is buried, and we arise triumphant,
to sing the praises of God our Saviour, who from thenceforth supports-
and conducts us in our passage through the world, strengthening us in
the day of battle against every enemy that opposeth us, until we
enter the heavenly Canaan, promised to the fathers of our faith, and
dwell for ever in the possession of peace. When we consider how
God has thus " remembered us in our low estate," and thus " re-
deemed us from our enemies," can we be weary of repeating, " For
Ills mercy endureth for ever ?"
25. Who givethfood to all flesh : for his mercy endureth for ever. 26. O
give thanks unto the God of heaven : for his mercy endureth /or ever.
The same bounty which, in the natural world provided proper
nutriment for every creature, hath also provided for the spirits of all
flesh the bread of eternal hfe. In either sense, Jehovah " openeth
his hand, and filleth all things living with plenteousness." Be,
therefore, his praise as universal and lasting as his mercy !
PSALM CXXXVII.
ARGUMENT. — The Israelites, captives in Babylon, 1, 2. describe their woful estate ;
and ,3, 4. the insults of their masters. 5, 6. They declare their inviolable affection for
Jerusalem : 7. pray that God would remember the behaviour of Edom ; and, 8, 9. pre-
dict the destruction of Babylon. This Psalm admits of a beautiful and useful appli-
cation to the state of Chirstians in this world, and their expected deliverance out of it.
1. By the rivers of Babylon^ there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we
remembered Zion.
What an inexpressible pathos is there in these few words ! How
do they at once transport us to Babylon, and place before our eyes
the mournful situation of the Israelitish captives ! Driven from
their native country, stripped of every comfort and convenience, in a
strange land, among idolaters, wearied and broken-hearted, they sit
in silence by those hostile waters. Then the pleasant banks of
Jordan present themselves to their imaginations; the towers of
Salem rise to view ; and the sad rememberance of much-loved Zion
causes tears to run down their cheeks ; " By the waters of Babylon
we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion !" Besides
the use which may be made of this Psalm by any church, when,
literally, in a state of captivity, there is a sense in which it may be
nsed by us all. For Zion is, in Scripture, the standing type of
heaven, as Babylon is the grand figure of the world, the seat of
confusion, the oppressor and persecutor of the people of God. In
these, or the hke terms, we may, therefore, suppose a sinner to be-
moan himself upon the earth : — O Lord, I am an Israelite, exiled
600 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
by my sins from thy holy city, and left to mourn in this Babylon,
the land of my captivity. Here I dwell in sorrow, by these transient
waters, musing on the restless and unstable nature of earthly pleas-
ures, which pass swiftly by me, and are soon gone for ever. Yet.
for these, alas ! I have exchanged the permanent joys of Zion,
and parted with the felicity of thy chosen. Wherefore my heart is
pained within me, and the remembrance of my folly will not let me
rest night or day. O Zion, thou holy and beautiful city, the temple
of the Lamb, the habitation of the blessed, the seat of delight, the
land of the living, when shall I behold thee? When shall I enter
thy gates with thanksgiving, and thy courts with praise ? The hope
of a return to thee is my only comfort in this vale of tears, where I
am and will be a mourner, till my captivity be brought back, and
my sorrow be turned into joy.
2. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
The additional circumstance, which the divine painter hath here
thrown into his piece, is, to the last degree, just and striking. It
was not enough to represent the Hebrew captives weeping on the
banks of the Euphrates, at the remembrance of Zion, but, upon look-
ing up, we behold their harps unstrung, and pendent on the wil-
lows that grew there. The sincere penitent, like them, hath bidden
adieu to mirth ; his soul refuseth to be comforted with the comforts
of Babylon ; nor can he sing any more, till pardon and restoration
shall have enabled him to sing, in the temple, a song of praise and
thanksgiving.
3. For there they that carried us away captives required of us a song ; and
they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing 7is one of the songs
of Zion. 4. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ?*
The Babylonians are introduced as insulting over the Israelites,
and scoffing at their faith and worship, not without a tacit reflection
on their God, who could not protect his favoured people against
their enemies. "Now sing us one of your songs of Zion ; now let
us hear you sound the praises of that God of whom ye boasted, that
he dwelt among you in the temple which we have laid waste, and
burnt with fire." Thus the faithful have been, and thus they will
be, insulted by infidels in the day of their calamity. And "how,"
indeed, " can they sing the Lord's song in a strange land ?" How
can they tune their voices to festive and eucharistic strains, when
God, by punishing them for their sins, calleth to mourning and
weeping? But then, Israel in Babylon foresaw a day of redemp-
tion ; and so doth the church in the world ; a day when she shall
triumph, and her enemies shall lick the dust. No circumstances,
therefore, should make us forget her, and the promises concerning her.
* Many singers were carried captives : Ezra ii. 41. These would of course take
their instruments with them, and be insulted, as here. Their songs were sacred, and
unfit to be sung before idolaters. But the words, " How shall we sing ?" &c. are not
an answer given to them, but the free utterance afterwards of the feelings of the Jewa
among themselves. — Anonymous Notes in Merrick's Annotations.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 501
b. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let mij right hand forget her cunning.
6. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ;
if /prefer not Jencsalem above my chief joy.
The whole nation may be supposed in these words to declare, as
one man, that neither the afflictions nor the allurements of Bablyon
should efface from their minds the remembrance of Jerusalem, or
prevent their looking forward to her future glorious restoration. If
any temptation should induce them to employ their tongues and
their hands in the service of Babel rather than in that of Zion, they
wish to lose the use of the former and skill of the latter. The
thoughts and affections of true penitents, both in prosperity and ad-
versity, are fixed upon their heavenly country and city ; tliey had
rather be deprived of their powers and faculties, than of the will to
Use them aright; and the hope of glory, hereafter to be revealed in
the church, is the flower and crown of their joy.
7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who
said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof
The people of God beseech him to take their cause in hand, and
to avenge them on their adversaries, particularly on the Edomites,
who, though their brethren according to the flesh, being descended
from Esau, the brother of .Jacob, yet in the day of Jerusalem's
affliction, when the Chaldeans came against it, were aiding and en-
couraging those pagans to destroy it utterly. Edom is charged with
this unnatural behaviour, and threatened for it by God himself, in
the prophecy of Obadiah, ver. 10, dsc. ''For thy violence against
thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off
for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day
that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners
entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as
one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of th}^
brother, in the day that he became, a stranger : neither shouldest
thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their de-
struction. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen :
as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee, thy reward shall return
upon thine own head ; but upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance,
and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their
possessions." It may be observed, that the Jews afterwards acted the
same part toward the Christian church, which the Edomites had
acted toward them, encouraging and stirring up the Gentiles to perse-
cute and destroy it from oflf" the face of the earth. And God "re-
membered" them for the Christians' sakes. as they prayed him to
remember " Edom" for their sakes. Learn we hence, what a crime
it is for Christians to assist the common enemy, or call in the com-
mon enemy to assist them, against their brethren.
8. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed ; happy shall he be, that
rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us. 9. Happy shall he be, that taketh and
dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
The subject of these two verses is the same with that of many
chapters in Isaiah and Jeremiah, namely, the vengeance of heaven
502 A COMMENTARY OX THE PSALMS.
executed upon Babylon by Cyrus, raised up to be king of the Medes
and Persians, united under him for that purpose. The meaning of
the words, " happy sljall he be," is. He shall go on and prosper, for
the Lord of liosts shall go with him, and fight his battles against the
enemy and oppressor of his people, em|)owering him to recompense
upon the Chaldeans the works of their hands, and to reward them
as they served Israel. The slaughter of the very infants mentioned
in the last verse, is expressly predicted by Isaiah, ch. xiii. 16 : " Their
children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes ; their houses
shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished." The destruction was to
be universal, sparing neither sex nor age. Terrible, but just, are
thy judgments, O Lord! The fall of the mystical " Bablyon " is
described. Rev. xviii. in terms and phrases, borrowed from this and
other prophecies, relating, primarily, to the ancient city called by
that name. Whoever will carefully read over the chapter referred
to, with the three subsequent ones concerning the triumph of Mes-
siah, and the glory of the new Jerusalem, will be able to form proper
ideas of the world and the church, and will know where to choose
his portion.
PSALM CXXXVIII. .
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1 — 3. a resolution to praise God for a deliv-
erance vouchsafed ; 4, 5. a prophecy that the kings of the earth should glorify
Jehovah for his mercy, shown, 6. in exalting the humble, and abasing the proud ;
7, 8. an act of faith and confidence in God.
1. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise
unto thee. 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name, for
thy loving kindness and for thy truth : for thou hast magnified, thy word above
all thy name ; or, thou hast magnified thy name, even thy word, above all.
In these verses we evidently hear the voice of one whom God had
dehvered from a state of great affliction and danger, and who there-
fore determines to make the due acknowledgments in public ; to give
thanks " before the gods," that is, before " kings " and " rulers " in
the great congregation ; to " worship in the temple," and there to set
forth the "loving kindness" and "truth" of Jehovah, in having ac-
comphshed the promised salvation, and thereby "magnified" his
holy " name" and his faithful " word"jover every thing that opposeth
itself against it. The Christian church cannot find stronger and
more emphatical terms, in which to express her sense of the greatest
of all mercies, the redemption of the world by the resurrection of Jesus
from the dead, and his 'exaUation "above every name that is named
in heaven and earth."
3. In the day when I cried, thou answer edst me, and strength enedst me with
strength in my soul. 4. All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
when they hear the words of thy mouth. 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways
of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
From this part of the Psalm it appears to be a prophetical one.
A. COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 503
'The deliverance which it celebrates is of such a nature, that, when
the glad tidings of it should be pu Wished to the world, we are told,
it should induce the nations, with their princes, to adore Jehovah, to
walk in his ways, and to chant forth his praises. The call of the
Gentiles to the gospel is here foretold, in words which cannot be mis-
taken ; and the redemption of the church, in Christ her head, is
-spoken of as the subject of thanksgiving among the kings of the
earth. "In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, and
strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." For this reason, "All
the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord," (fee.
6. Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the
"proud he knoweth afar off.
Humility is the way to salvation and glory. It is said of our
^'blessed Lord, that "because he humbled himself, therefore God
highly exalted him :" and the great potentates of the world must
tread in his steps, if they would be exalted with him. As to the
proud, God "knoweth" and he detesteth them; he beholdeth and
' -keepeth them at a " distance."
7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me : them shall
• stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right
. hand shall save me.
Who doth not " walk in the midst of trouble," while his pilgrim-
age is prolopged upon the earth ? Who hath not " enemies" encom-
passing him on every side ? O, how comfortable then the reflection
that he is with us, who can " revive" the dead ; that we are under
the protection of an " arm" which is almighty ! Yes, blessed Lord,
we beheve that this saying of thy holy Psalmist will be verified to
every child of thine, even as it was to him, and to thy Son, Jesus,
' in whose person he might speak it, as a prophet. Great indeed
were the " troubles," in the midst of which the true David "walked"
' up and down amongst us. He carried all our sorrows, because he
bare all our sins. "Yet didst thou revive him;" thou didst raise
him from the dead, and exalt him to thy throne in heaven, where
he ever liveth to make intercession for us, that we, w^ho, in the days
of our flesh, do also " walk in the midst of trouble," may be revived
"by thy Spirit, the giver of life and holiness.
8. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me : thy mercy, O Lord,
. endureth/or ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
In troublous times, and the days of afiliction, we must look back
on that which God hath already done for us, and from thence draw
■ an argument, that he will " perfect" that w hich remains, and not
leave his work unfinished : we must remember, that his mercies fail
not after a time, but " endure for ever" the same ; and w^hen we
call to mind that we are " the work of his own hands," how can
we think he will " forsake us," unless we utterly and finally forsake
him?
504 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
TWENTY-NINTH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CXXXIX.
ARGUMENT. — It seems evident, from the latter part of this noble and instructive
Psalm, that the author penned it at a time when he was persecuted and calum-
niated, as an appeal to the all-seeing Judge between him and his adversaries. He
takes the opportunity of expatiating in the sublimest manner, 1 — 12. on the omni-
presence and omniscience of him who, 13 — 16. formeth man in the womb by his
power, and, 17, 18. preserveth him through life by his providence. He then, .
19, 20. expresseth his confidence that God, as knowing all things, would deliver him
from his enemies: 21, 22. he declareth his zeal and fidelity in the service of his
divine Master, by whom, 23, 24. he petitioneth to be proved, purified, and perfected
in the way of holiness.
1. O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. 2. T%ou knowest my
down-sitting and my up-rising^ thou imderstaridest my thoughts afar off.
3. Thou compassest my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with
all my ways. 4. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, to, O Lord, thou
knowest it altogether, or, When there is not a word in my tongue, lo, O Lord,
^c. 5. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon
me. 6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me ; it is high, I cannot attain
unto it.
The Psalmist employeth a beautiful variety of expressions to de-
note his faith in tlie Ckinnipresence and omniscience of Jehovah, to
whom, in the latter part of the Psalm, he appealeth, as the proper
judge between him and his implacable enemies. He describeth his
God as having that complete knowledge of him and his affairs,,
which, among men, the most accurate "search" and the strictest
scrutiny could not obtain; as being thoroughly "acquainted with
all his ways" or proceedings, nay, with his very "thoughts," while
yet existing only in embryo, in his own mind ; as watching and
observing him at all seasons during the actions of the day, and his
repose at night, and, in short, as having so "beset" him on all sides,
and " laid his hand upon him," that he could not move without his
knowledge and consent. When we reflect that "all things are thus
naked and open to him with whom we have to do ;" that although
he dwelleth in the highest heavens, he surveyeth not only the out-
ward acts, but the very hearts and imaginations, of men upon earth
— must we not each of us cry out, " Such knowledge is too wonder-
ful for me ; it is high, I cannot attain unto it ;" 1 cannot admire it
enough, for I cannot conceive of it aright ! — " The actual, constant
consideration of God's presence would be the readiest way in the
world to make sin to cease from among the children of men, and for
men to approach to the blessed estate of the saints in heaven, who
cannot sin, for they always walk in the presence, and behold the
face of God." See Bishop Taylor's Holy Living, chap. i. sect. 3.
7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? or whither shall I fee from thy
presence? 8. Jf I ascend up into heaven, thou, art there: if 1 make my bed
in hell, or, the grave, behold thou art there. 9. If 1 take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10. Even there shall
thy hand, lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11. Jf I say. Surely
the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12. lea,
A COMMENTARY ON 'Tk'E PSALMS. BOt>
the darkness hideifi not from thee ; but the night shineth as the day ; the dark'
ness and the light are both alike to thee.
We can never sin with security, but in a place where the eye of
God cannot behold us. And where is that place? Had we a mind
to escape his inspection, " whither should we go ?" Heaven is the
seat of his glory, creation the scene of his providence, and the grave
itself will be the theatre of his power ; so that our efforts will be
equally vain, whether we ascend, or descend, or fly abroad upon the
wings of the morning light, which diffuseth itself with such velocity
over the globe from east to west. The arm of the Almighty will
still at pleasure prevent, and be ready to arrest the fugitives in their
progress. Darkness may, indeed, conceal us and our deeds from the
sight of men; but the divine presence, like that of the sun, turns
night into day, and makes all tilings manifest before God. The
same consideration which should restrain us from sin, should also
encourage us to work righteousness, and comfort us under all our
sorrows ; namely, the thought that we are never out of the sight
and protection of our Maker. The piety and the charity which are
practised in cottages ; the labour and the pain which are patiently
endured in the field, and on the bed of sickness ; the misery and
torment inflicted by persecution in the mines, the galleys, and the
dungeons ; all are under the inspection of Jehovah, and are noted
down by him against the day of recompense. He sees, and he will
reward all we do, and all we suffer as becometh Christians. He
w^ho, for our sakes, caused his Son to descend from heaven to the
lower parts of the earth, and from thence to ascend to heaven again,
will watch over, preserve, and re-assemble the parts of our bodies,
though dissolved in the grave, buried in the ocean, or dispersed to
the four winds. So that, with allusion to this event also, a dying
servant of God may exclaim. Whither can I go from thy Spirit? or
whither can I flee from thy presence? If, as to my spiritual part, I
ascend into heaven, thou art there to receive me ; if, as touching my
body, I make my bed in pin©, or the grave, behold thou art there, to
secure me. If I take the wings of the wind, or those yet more ex-
peditious ones of the morning, and am carried by them to dwell in
the midst of the sea, instead of the bowels of the earth, still shall I
be under thy power and providence ; even there shall thy hand lead
me, and thy right hand shall hold me fast, preserving me for a joy-
ful resurrection at the time appointed.
13. For thou hast possessed, ov, formed, my reins ; thou hast covered me in
rny mother'' s womb. 14. / will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonder-
fully made : marvellous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth right
well. '
That God seeth in darkness, and that from him nothing is hidden,
his knowledge of, and power over our most inward parts, do plainly
show. He "formed," and he therefore " possesseth," as his own
property, our " reins," and is consequently privy to all those affec-
tions and desires which flow from thence. — It was he who " covered
us" in the womb, or, as it is elsewhere expressed. Job x. 11, who
64
506 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
"clothed us with skin and flesh, and fenced us with bones and
sinews ;" a work so astonishing, that before the Psalmist proceeds
in his description of it, he cannot help breaking forth in rapture at
the thought : •' I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made !"
" Obstupeo, et memet laeta, formidine lustro,
Divini monumentum operis !" — Lowth.
With awful joy I view this frame of mine,
Stupendous monument of pow'r divine !
15. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and
•curiously wrought, or, variegated like needle-work, in the lowest parts of the
earth. 16. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect ; and in thy
book all my rueiiibers were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when
as yet there was none of them.
By the " lower parts of the eartli" is undoubtedly to be understood
the " womb," where the foetus is gradually formed and matured for
the birth, like plants and flowers under ground. The process is
compared to that in a piece of work wrought with a needle, or fash-
ioned in the loom ; which, with all its beautiful variety of colour,
and proportion of figure, ariseth by degrees to perfection under the
hand of the artist, framed according to a pattern lying before him,
from a rude mass of silk, or other materials. Thus, by the wisdom
and power of God, and after a plan delineated in his ijook, is a shape-
less mass wrought up into the most curious texture of nerves, veins,
arteries, bones, muscles, membranes, and skin, most skilfully inter-
woven and connected with each other, until it becometh a body,
harmoniously diversified with all the limbs and lineaments of a man,
not one of which at first appeared, any more than the figures were
to be seen in the ball of silk. But then (which is the chief thing
here insisted on by the Psalmist) whereas the human artificer must
have the clearest light whereby to accomplish his task, the divine
Work-master seeth in secret, and effecteth all his wonders within
the dark and narrow confines of the womb. The reformation of our
corrupted and dissolved bodies, which is to be wrought, at the last
day, in the womb of the earth, in order to their new birth, will crown
all the works of the Almighty.
17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto, or, concerning, me, O God !
how great is the sum of them ! 18. If / should count them, they are more in
number than the sand : when I awake, I am still with thee.
From the wonders of God's forming hand, the Psalmist proceeds
to those of his all-directing providence, which afford additional proofs
of the divine omniscience and omnipresence. The " thoughts" and
counsels of Jehovah concerning David, his appointment to the throne,
his troubles and his preservation in the midst of them, were " pre-
cious" and delightful subjects of meditation and praise, never to be
exhausted of the rich matter they contained. With these in his
mind, he lay down at nigbi to xest, and " when he awoke" in the
morning, his thoughts naturally recurred to the pleasing theme ; he
began where he had left off, and found himself, in heart and soul, "still
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 607
present with God/' still ruminating on him and his works. The
mercies of heaven in the redemption of the church, by the sufferings
and exaltation of the true David, according to the divine decree con-
cerning him — how precious are they to believers ! How great is the
sum, how far exceeding all human arithmetic to number them !
Let them be to us the constant subjects of contemplation, admira-
tion, and thanksgiving, day and night ; and let death, that last
sleep, find us engaged in an employment which, when we awake
and arise from the grave, we shall resume, and prosecute to eternity
in the presence of God.
19. Surely thou wilt slay the ivicked, O God: or, Wilt thou not slay the
wicked, O God ? depart from 7)ie, therefore, ye blood-thirsty men. 20. For
they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
David now draws the intended conclusion from the premises, so
largely expatiated upon in the former part of the Psalm. As if he had
said, And wilt thou not, O God, thou who art everywhere present,
seeing and knowing all things ; thou to whom the justice of my
cause, and the iniquity of mine adversaries are equally open ; thou
who hast formed, and hitherto, in so wonderful a manner, watched
over and preserved thy servant ; " wilt thou not slay the wicked,^'
and deliver me, as thou hast promised to do, out of their hands? I
know thou wilt : " depart from me, therefore, ye blood-thirsty men ;"
I trust in my God, and will have no connexion, in the way of treaty
or friendship, with you. You are not my enemies, but those of Je-
hovah ; against whom, not considering that he is privy to all your
words, and even to your thoughts, you " speak" presumptuously and
" wickedly," and whose " name" you " take in vain," no less when
you do evil under a godly pretence, and call him to witness the truth
of your lies and calumnies, than when you openly blaspheme him.
Such seemeth to be the full import of these two verses ; and their
application to the members of the church, when at any time in simi-
lar circumstances, is obvious.
21. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with
those that rise up against thee ? 22. I hate them with perfect hatred : J count
them mine enemies.
A faithful servant hath the same interests, the same friends, the
same enemies with his Master, whose cause and honour he is, upon
all occasions, in duty bound to support and maintain. A good man
hates, as God himself doth ; he hates not the persons of men, but
their sins ; not what God made them, but what they have made
themselves. We are neither to hate the men, on account of the
vices they practise; nor to love the vices, for the sake of the men
who practise them. He who observeth invariably this distinction,
fulfilleth the perfect law of charity, and hath the love of God and of
his neighbour abiding in him.
23. Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts :
24, And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever-
lasting.
In the first verse of the Psalm, David declared, that Jehovah had
508 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
" searched him out, and known him :" he concludes with a petition^
that his proceedings, and even his thoughts, might be still scrutinized
by his Maker, in order to their perfect purification from any evil
which might be in them, or adhere to them. Should the hottest fur-
nace of adversity be found necessary to purge the dross from the silver,
he refuseth not to be dissolved in it, and new-formed, so that he might
only become a vessel of honour fitted for the Master's use here be-
low, and vouchsafed a place afterwards in his temple above. " See
if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way ever-
lasting !"
PSALM CXL.
ARGUMENT. — This Psalm containeth, 1 — 8. a prayer for deliverance from persecu-
tors and calumniators, their violence and ther wiles; 9 — 11. a prophecy of their
final destruction, and, 12, 13. the salvation of the afflicted righteous. It was com-
posed by David in his troubles, and is applicable to Christ and to the church,
respectively, in theirs.
1. Deliver me^ O Lord, from the evil man : preserve me from the violent
man: 2. Which imagine mischiefs in their heart ; continually are they gath-
ered together for war.
" Evil and violent men" exist in all ages, to harass and oppress the
servants of God ; their thoughts are employed in " imagining mis-
chief" against such, and their hands are ready at all times for the
" war." Had we no enemies without, there are those within, who
are ever fighting and troubling us. We cannot put off our Christian
armour for a moment in this world ; nor enter into peace and rest,
but by a happy death and a joyful resurrection. Then God will
" deliver" us, as he deUvered David, and our blessed Lord and Master,
the Son of David, from their respective enemies.
3. TViey have sJuirpened their tongues like a serpent: adders^ poison is
under their lips.
Slander and calumny must always precede and accompany perse-
cution, because malice itself cannot excite people against a good man,
as such ; to do this, he must first be represented as a bad man.
What can be said of those who are busied in this manner, but that
they are a " generation of vipers," the brood of the old " serpent,"
that grand accuser and calumniator of the brethren, having under
their tongues a bag of " poison" conveying instant death to the repu-
tation on which they fasten ? Thus David was hunted as a rebel,
Christ was crucified as a blasphemer, and the primitive Christians
were tortured as guilty of incest and murder.
4. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked ; preserve me from the
violent men, who have purposed to overthrow my goings. 5. 77ie proud have % i
hid a snare for me, and cords ; they have spread a net by the ivay-side; they
have set gins for me.
David here describeth the subtilty and industry employed by his
enemies to effect his destruction, by lying in wait for him, as a skil-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 809
I
ful fowler doth for his gamej so that they thought it impossible he
should escape their hands. Such was the conduct of the Jews, with
regard to the Son of David. And, O, how refined the policy, how
unwearied the application of our spiritual adversaries, to " overthrow
our goings" in the path of Ufe and salvation, to circumvent, and to
destroy us for ever ! How are " the snares, the nets, and the gins,"
placed for us by that cunning and experienced artist, who takes care
that nothing should appear in view, but the alluring baits of honour,
pleasure, and profit, while of the toils we have no notice, till we find
ourselves entangled and caught in them \ Who shall preserve us
thus walliing in the midst of dangers? He to whom David, in the
following verses, preferreth his prayer, and teacheth us to do like-
wise.
6. / said unto the Lord : TViou art my God : hear the voice of my suppli-
cations, O Lord. 7. O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast
covered my head in the day of battle. 8. Grant not, O Lord, the desires of
the wicked : further not his wicked device ; lest they exalt themselves.
Jehovah, the God of David, is also our God, and he is always
ready to hear our supplications. He is our strength, and hath often
covered our head with the helmet of salvation, in the day of battle
and open war with our spiritual enemies. Nor will he, for the glory
of his name, grant their desires, or permit their more secret " devices"
and machinations to work the destruction of his people ; lest they
exalt themselves as having frustrated his counsels for the redemption
of his servants.
9. As for the head of those that compass me about, the mischief of their own
lips shall cover them. 10. Burning coals shall fall upon them; they shall
be cast into the f re, into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11. An evil
speaker shall not be established in the earth ; evil shall hunt the violent man
to overthrow him.
The prophet, in these three verses, predicteth those just judgments
which heaven will inflict on the slanderers and persecutors of the
righteous. Their lips, which uttered mischief against others, shall
be the means of covering themselves with confusion, when out of
their own mouths they shall be judged. Those tongues, which have
contributed to set the world on fire, shall be tormented with the hot
burning coals of eternal vengeance : and they who, with so much
eagerness and diligence, have prepared pits for the destruction of
their brethren, shall be cast into a deep and bottomless pit, out of
which they will not rise up again any more for ever. Evil speakers
and false accusers shall gain no lasting establishment, but punish-
ment shall hunt sin through all its doubles, and seize it at last as its
legal prey. Let these great truths be firmly rooted in our hearts, and
they will keep us steady in the worst of times.
12. / know thai the Lord will maintain the cause of the affiicted, and the
right of the poor. 13. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name:
the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
That unjust and oppressive men shall, in the end, suffer propor-
tionably to their deserts, we are assured from this consideration,
t;!^
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
immelyj that the Almighty is the patron of the injured and oppressed.
He will plead the cause of the meek and lowly, who are used by
the world as their blessed Master was used before them. A day
will come, when, delivered out of all their troubles, they shall " give
thanks unto thy name," O Lord, and " dwell in thy presence " for
evermore.
PSALM CXLL
ARGUMENT. — David seems to have composed this Psalm just before lis flight to
Achish king of Gath ; when he had a second time spared Saul's life, but could trust
him no longer: see 1 Sam. xxvi. and xxvii. 1, 2. He prayeth earnestly for help,
and entreateth to be heard, as when able to attend the service of the tabernacle ;
3 — 5. he petitioneth to be preserved from the snares of idolatry, in the country
whrther he was going ; 6, 7. he relateth his own conduct toward Saul, and that of
Saul toward him ; 8, 9. he professeth his faith in Jehovah, and redoubleth his prayer
to him ; 10. he predicteth the destruction of his enemies, and his own deliverance-
Many parts of the exposition of this Psalm, given by the late learned Mr. Peters, in
his " Critical Dissertation on the Book of Job," have been adopted in the ensuing
comment.
1. Lord, / will cry unto thee, make haste unto me ; give ear unto my voicSj
when I cry unto thee. 2. Let my prayer he set forth before thee as incense ;
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
The earnest and repeated supplication for help, in the first of these
two verses, sufficiently declares the Psalmist to have been, at the
time, in situation of the utmost distress. And the second verse
as plainly showeth, that he was then at a distance from the taber-
nacle, where all the solemn prayers of the Israelites, together with
their daily sacrifices, were offered up. And therefore, with his face,
probably, directed thither, like Daniel in Babylon praying towards
Jerusalem, he begs that God would accept of all which it was in his
power to perform, namely, the devotioji of his heart, and the eleva-
tion of his hands in prayer ; that the one might ascend to heaven,
fragrant and well-pleasing, as the cloud of "incense" mounting
from the holy altar ; and the other, in conjunction with it, prevail
instead of the " evening oblation," for the deliverance of himself and
his companions.
3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door of my lips ; or, a
guard over the door of my lips. 4. Incline not mine heart, i. e. suffer not my
heart to be inclined, to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that
work iniquity, or, idolatry ; and let me not eat of their dainties.
David was now going to seek a retreat from the persecutions of
his master, Saul, amidst a race of idolaters, who would be curious to
observe all his words and actions, and would attempt to draw him
in to be a partaker with them in their idol-worship, or to suspect
him as a spy and an enemy, if he refused to comply with them.
He therefore beseeches God to " set a watch before his mouth, a
guard over the door of his lips," that he might neither endanger hi&
own safety by his imprudent carriage, nor violate his religion by
any weak compliances. He entreats to be preserved from that
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 611
greatest of all evils, the renouncing Jehovah to follow vain and
strange gods. He desires that he might not be guilty of this hei-
nous and presumptuous sin, no, not so nmch as in thought ; — " Suffer
not mine heart to be inclined to any evil thing ;" that he might ab-
hor to play the hypocrite, by joining in the abominations of the hea-
then, " the men that work idolatry," though but in show and ap-
pearance only ; and that he might never be allured by the pomp
and pleasure of their feasts, by their luxurious meats and lasciv-
ious rites, to mix in their religious festivals, to eat and drink, and
rise up to play : — " neither let me eat of their dainties." A Chris-
tian, living among unbelievers and sensualists in the world, hath
abundant reason to put up the same prayers, and to use the same
precautions.
5. Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a kindness : and let him re-
prove me: it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break, or, depress, my
head: for yet my 'prayer also shall be in their calamities^ or, against their
toickeaness.
David continueth his prayer, and beggeth of heaven, as one of its
best and choicest blessings, that if at any time, through the frailty
of nature, he should be inclined to yield to the above-mentioned
temptations, he might find, among his attendants, some "righteous"
and faithful friend, who might, with a kind severity, check and "re-
prove" him. Such reproof, he says, would, at that season, be to
him as tjxn ic;iD, the "chief," or most precious and "excellent oil;"
see Exod. xxx. 23: it would not "depress his head," ^Tcxn-'a^^x, or
cause him to " hang it down," as people in sorrow do, but it would
be " the oil of gladness," refreshing, enlivening, strengthening, and
enabUng him to hft up his head above the temptation against which
he had been praying, and, with renewed vigour, would still con-
tinue to pray ; for " yet my prayer" shall be onn^jTS, " against their
wickednesses." The blessed effects of reproof, when given and taken
as it ought to be, never, snrely, were more exacUy or more beauti-
fully described.
6. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my
words ; for they are sweet.
Of this verse, as it stands in our translation, I know not what can
be made. When literally rendered from the Hebrew, it runs thus :
" Their judges have been dismissed in the sides of the rock, and
have heard my words that they were sweet." David, reflecting on
Saul's cruelty in driving him out of his country, to wander amongst
aliens and idolaters, very naturally calls to mind, and mentions, his
own different behaviour towards that implacable enemy, whose life
he had spared at two several times, when he had it in his power to
destroy him as he pleased. " Their judges," or princes, leaders,
generals, (fee. according to the frequent usage of the word in Scrip-
ture, -jonic:, "have been dismissed" (the common signification of
the verb toac) " in the sides of the rock," when I had them at an
advantage there ; 1 Sam. xxiv. 3, " and have heard my words, thafe
518 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
they were sweet ;"* they only heard me expostulate with them in a
manner so mild and humble, that even Saul himself was overcome,
and " lift up his voice and wept, saying, My son David, thou art
more righteous than I. The Lord reward thee good for that thou
hast done unto me this day." 1 Sam. xxiv. 16. Such hath been
my conduct towards the servants of Saul. Yet how have my people,
alas ! been by them most miserably butchered.
7. Our hones are scattered at the gravels mouth, as when one cutteth and
cleaveth wood upon the earth.
This probably alludes to the bloody massacre of Ah imelech and
the priests that were in Nob, who, to the number of eighty-five per-
sons, all of a sacred character, and all innocent, were inhumanly
slaughtered together by Doeg the Edomite. Such havoc as this
might well be compared to the cutting and cleaving of wood, like
the fragments of which the bones of the sufferers lay scattered here
and there upon the ground, as many of the bodies might be de-
voured, before pits were prepared, near the field of slaughter, for their
interment. To feel the force of the Psalmist's expressions in this
verse, we need not have recourse to such extraordinary scenes of
tyranny and cruelty. The daily dissolution and destruction of our
bodies, in the common way, will be found abundantly sufficient for
the purpose. For who can attend the digging of a grave, and thus
view the ruins then disclosed, without exclaiming, " Our bones lie
scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth
wood upon the earth ?" Indeed, Rachel hath often had occasion to
bemoan her children, thus untimely slain by the unrelenting sword
of persecution. But let her refrain her voice from weeping, and her
eyes from tears. Her children shall return again from the dead, and
their bones shall rejoice and flourish as an herb. Jer. xxxi. 15 *
Isa. Ixvi. 14.
8. But mine eyes gre unto th^e, O God the Lord : in Ihee is my trust : leave
not my soul destitute. 9. Keep me from the snares which they have laid for
me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
«
The principle upon which David acted, and supported himself
under his troubles, was a firm trust in God, and a steady resolution
to obey him. With confidence therefore he made his prayer, that
Jehovah would keep him from the snares which Saul and his coun-
sellors had laid for him on one hand, and from those of the idolaters,
among whom he was driven, on the other ; that so he might not be
left destitute and lose his life, or, which he prized more, his faith.
For it is remarkable, that in his last speech to Saul, 1 Sam. xxvi. 19,
where he mentions the wicked policy of his enemies, who had con-
trived to force him into banishment, he mentions not the dangers of
his life, but only that of his religion : — " They have driven me out
this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go
* This is Mr. Peters's interpretation of the verse, and Dr. Durell hath fallen upon
the same.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 613
rserve other gods ;" intimating, that they had done what lay in their
power to drive him to idolatry by forcing him into a country where
he would have the strongest temptation to it.
10. Let the wicked^ or, the wicked shall, fall into their own nets together,
whilst that I withal escape.
From the sequel of the history we find that the hope and assu-
rance here expressed by the Psalmist were not vain. He escaped all
the snares that were laid for him on every side ; he lived to see the
death of Saul, who fell in a battle with the Philistines, and those
Philistines subdued by himself and his subjects. So will the devices
of all our enemies be in the end turned against themselves : they
shall fall and perish', but we shall triumph, with our Redeemer, to
eternity.
TWENTY-NINTH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXLII.
:ARGUMENT. — The title of this Psalm informs us, that it was a prayer of David,
when he was in the cave, that is, most probably, the cave of AduUam, whither he
fled when in danger both from Saul and from the Philistines : 1 Sam. xxii. 1. It
containeth, 1, 2. a supplication ; 3 — 5. an act of confidence in God in that season of
danger and destitution ; 6. a tender complaint of his sufferings, and 7. a petition for
deliverance. Our translators having rendered some of the verbs in the past tense,
the liberty hath been taken to alter them, agreeably to the Hebrew, and to the tenour
of the Psalm, which seemeth to be an actual prayer, and not the relation of one.
1. Twill cry unto the Lord with my voice ; with my voice unto the Lord
Atyill I make my supplication. 2. I will pour out my complaint before him ;
I will show before him my trouble.
The state of David in the cave of Adullam was a state of utter
■destitution. Persecuted by his own countrymen, dismissed by Achish,
and not yet joined by his own relations, or any other attendants, he
took refuge in the cave, and was there alone. But in that discon-
solate, and seemingly desperate situation, he desponded not. He
had a friend in heaven, into whose bosom he " poured forth his com-
plaint," and told him the sad story of his trouble and distress. When
danger besetteth us around, and fear is on every side, let us follow
the example of David, and that of a greater than David, who, when
Jews and Gentiles conspired against him, and he was left all alone,
in the garden, and on the cross, gave himself unto prayer.
3. When my spirit is ovenchelmed within me, then thou knowest my path.
In the way wherein I walk, have they privily laid a snare for me.
The meaning is. Though my thoughts are so broken and con-
fused, that I am not able to counsel and direct myself in these straits,
yet thou knowest the path wherein I walk, thou art with me, and
wilt preserve me from those who watch all my steps, and lie in am-
l)ush for me. Such should be at all times the confidence of believers
65
'^014 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
,,in the wisdom, the power^ and the goodness of God, even when bus-
man prudence has done its utmost, and is at its wit's end.
4. Look on my right hand, and see that there is 7io man that will know
me: refuge fail eth me; no man careth for my soul. 5. I cry unto thee, O
Lord ; I say, Thou art ray refuge and my •portion in the land of the living.
David beseecheth God to consider his destitute condition, to " look
on his right hand," the place where the advocate used to stand, and
to " see that there was no man that would know," acknowledge him,
and take his part ; " refuge failed him ;" there was on earth no patron
to whom he could commit himself and his cause : no one, ^^n, that
would " seek, require, or avenge his soul." Thus Dr. Hammond
expounds the words in a forensic sense. How affectingly do they
describe the destitution of David in the cave, and that of the Son of
David in the day of his passion, death, and burial ! Death will, in
like manner, strip us of all our earthly connexions and dependences.
But even at that hour, may we, each of us, " cry unto thee, O Lord,
and say. Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the
hving."
6. Attend unto my cry ; for I am brought very low : deliver me from my
persecutors ; for they are stronger than J. 7. Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise thy name : the righteous shall compass me about : for, or,
when, thou shall deal bountifully with me.
This prayer of David was heard and answered ; he was dehvered
from his persecutors, enlarged from his distress, exalted to the throne,
and joined by all the tribes of Israel. The true David was delivered
from his stronger persecutors, brought from the sepulchre, exalted to
his heavenly throne, owned and submitted to by the converted na-
tions, who became the Israel and people of God. Nor let us fear,
though we be brought very low, and our persecutors, the world, the
flesh, and the devil, be at any time too strong for us. God will de-
liver us from the bondage of sin, and redeem us from the prison of
the grave, to join the great assembly before the throne, and there to»
praise his name for ever.
PSALM CXLIII.
ARGUMENT.— This is the seventh and last of the Penitential Psalms ; and as we
are not informed of any particular temporal calamities, which gave occasion to its
beitig composed, we shall explain it according to the general use now made of it in
the church, for wiiich, indeed, it seems to have been originally and entirely designed.
After the example of David, the penitent, 1. maketh his prayer to God for pardon ;
2. acknowledge! h the impossibility of any man being saved hut by grace ; 3, 4. de-
ploreth the lamentable effects of sin ; 5. comforteth himself with a retrospect of
God's mercies of old ; and, 6 — 12. prayeth, in a variety of expressions, for remi.ssion
of sin, sanctification, and redemption.
1. Hear my prayer. O Lord give ear to my supplications: in thy faithful-
ness answer w^, and in thy righteousness.
When Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Christ with her tears,
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 515
he knew what the petition was which her soul desired to have
granted, and answered it accordingly, before it was made in words,
by saying, " Thy sins are forgiven thee." Thus the penitent, with-
out mentioning the subject of his request, as being well known to
God, begs that his *' prayer and supphcation may be heard and an-
swered," agreeably to the " faithfulness and righteousness of Jeho-
vah."
2. A?id enter not into judgment with thy servant : for in thy sight shall no
man living be justified.
In the first verse, the suppliant appealed to the promises of God^
and his fidelity in performing them. Here he urgeth the fallen,
sinful, wretched state of human nature, which hath rendered it ab-
solutely iaipossible that any son of Adam can be saved, should God
*' enter into judgment with him," and exact the punishment due to
his offences according to the law, instead of pardoning them by an
act of grace. The thoughts of such a trial are enough to appal the
soul of the best man living, to make his flesh tremble, and all his
bones shake, as if he stood at the foot of Sinai, and beheld Jehovah
ready to break forth upon him in the flame of devouring fire.
3. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul ; he hath smitten my life down
to the ground } he hath made me to dwell in darkness^ as those that have been
long dead. 4. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart
within me is desolate.
We have an " enemy" who " persecutes" us with unrelenting mal-
ice ; he " smites our life down to the ground," as often as we yield
to temptation, and fall from our state of holiness, to grovel in base
and earthly desires ; he " makes us to dwell in darkness," when he
has thus withdrawn us from the light of heaven, which before illu-
minated us, while we walked in it ; the spiritual fife, for a time, is
extinguished, and we become, for all the purposes of faith and char-
ity, " like those that have been long dead. Therefore," at the con-
sideration of this our sad estate, when God has enabled us to see
and know it, our •' spirit is overwhelmed within us," with remorse,
anxiety, and despondency ; and " our heart within us," deprived of
the comforts of conscience, the joys of the Spirit, and the presence
of the Beloved, " is desolate," forlorn, miserable. To rescue the sin-
ner from this disconsolate and lost condition, our blessed Saviour
was forsaken on the cross; "his spirit was overwhelmed within
him, and his heart within him was desolate ; the enemy" was suf-
fered to "smite his" precious "life down to the ground," and he
"dwelt," for three days, "in darkness, as the men that have been
long dead."
5. I remember the days of old ; I meditate on all thy works ; I muse on
the work of thy hands.
When sin has thus laid us low, and, as it were, slain and en-
tombed us, we begin to revive and to arise from the dead, through
hope of forgiveness and restoration to the divine favour, by " remem-
bering the days of old, and meditating on all the works" of love
516 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and mercy, which Jehovah then wrought towards those who were
sinners like ourselves. While we " muse" on such instances of his
goodness, the reflection is obvious : Is he not still the same gracious
God ? Will he not do as much for us, upon our repentance, as he
hath formerly done for others, upon theirs ? " Let us arise, and go
to our Father !"
6. / stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul thirsteth after thee as a
thirsty land.
Prayer is the voice of faith. The sinner who views his situation,
and believes, on having considered God's works of old, that he shall
be delivered out of it, will soon " stretch forth his hands," in suppli-
cation to heaven. His soul will gasp and pant after that grace and
mercy which descend from above, like the rain in its season, to be-
stow refreshment, beauty, and fertility on a parched and " thirsty
land." While we recite this verse, let us not be unmindful of Him
whose hands were often stretched forth in prayer for his people, and
whose soul thirsted after our salvation, even then, when he felt ex-
tremity of bodily thirst on the cross.
7. Help me speedily, O Lord : my spirit faileth ; hide not thy face from
me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
These words would come with propriety from the mouth of one
in danger of temporal death. They are no less proper in the mouth
of him who is in danger of death eternal. Rather, they receive an
additional force and energy, when used in this latter sense.
8. Cause m£ to hear thy loving kindness in the morning ; for in thee do I
trust : cause me to know the way wherein I should walk ; for I lift up my soul
unto thee.
The penitent prayeth that he may " hear the voice of God's lov-
ing kindness," speaking pardon and peace to his soul, " in the morn-
ing" speedily and early, after the long dark night of fear and sorrow
through which he is passing. This he hopes, because, disclaiming
all other reliance, he yjlaceth his confidence in God alone ; " in thee
do I trust." Nor is he only solicitous for the forgiveness of what is
past, but for future direction in the course of duty ; " show thou me
the way wherein I should walk." And to the end that he may fol-
low such directions, he hath withdrawn his affections from things
below, and set them on things above ; " I hft up my soul unto thee.''
9. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies : 1 flee unto thee to hide me.
10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God : thy Spirit is good ; lead
me, or, let thy good Spirit lead me, into the land of uprightness.
He continueth to pray that he may be '• delivered from his ene-
mies," the world, the flesh, and the devil, from whose temptations he
"fleeth," by repentance and faith, to the Almighty, to " hide" and
protect him. He requesteth to be fully instructed in the " will" of
him, whom, as his Lord and his " God," he hath determined to serve
and obey. But conscious of his own inability to do the will of Je-
hovah, even when known, he entreateth the good Spirit of God to
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 517
"lead" him out of the mazes of error and the pollutions of vice, into
the pleasant " land" of truth and holiness.*
11. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake ; for thy righteousness'' sdke^
bring my soul out of trouble. 12. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies^ and
destroy all them that afflict my soul : for 1 am thy servant.
The verbs in these two last verses, as Dr. Hammond hath noted,
should be rendered in tlie future ; " Thou shalt quicken," &c. and
then the Psalm will end, as usual, with an act of faith and assu-
rance, that all those mercies which have been asked shall be obtained;
that God, for the sake of his "name," and his "righteousness," of
his glory, and his faithfulness in the performance of his promises,
will not fail to be favourable and gracious to his servants, " quicken-
ing" them, even w^hen dead in trespasses and sins, and bringing
them, by degrees, '* out of all their troubles ;" going forth with them
to the battle against their spiritual "enemies," and enabling them to
vanquish the authors of their " affliction" and misery, to mortify the
flesh, and to overcome the world ; that so they may triumph with
their Redeemer, in the day when he shall likewise quicken their
mortal bodies, and put all enemies under their feet.
THIRTIETH DAY— MORNING PRAYER.
PSALM CXLIV.
ARGUMENT. — It appears from verse 2. and verse 10. of this Psalm, that it was com-
posed after David's accession to the throne. And it is evident, from verse 5, &c.
that he had more enemies still to conquer, such as the Philistines, &,c. He there-
fore. 1, 2. blesseth Jehovah; and, 3, 4. expresseth his astonisliment at the divine
goodness shown to such a creature as man ; 5 — 8. he beseecheth God to perfect his
work, and subdue the remaining adversaries by the might of his power. 9, 10. He
breaks forth again into a strain of thanksgiving, and, 11 — 15. again returns to his
prayers for the complete redemption, and the prosperity of Israel. If we substitute
in our minds, Messiah for David, the church for Israel, and spiritual for temporal
blessings, the Psalm will present itself to us as a noble evangelical hymn.
1. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and
my fingers to fight.
What David here acknowledgeth, with regard to his victories, and
that skill or might by which they w^ere obtained, should be likewise
acknowledged by all earthly kings and generals, in the day of bat-
tle and conquest. For success in our spiritual warftire, we depend on
the grace of God, which alone can give us wisdom and " strength
to have victory and triumph against sin, the world, and the devil."
Even the Captain of our salvation fousfht and overcame by a power
that was divine. " Jehovah taught his hands to war, and his fin-
* Mr. Merrick mentions the similar phrase of ttzSiov a\ri9eia<;, and Xetjucoi- aXrideiai,
among the Greeks. Or ^^"^"^72 f "iX may signify " the land that is plain and direct, even
and straight," where he might pursue his intended course of piety and goodness, with-
out fear of meeting with obstructioi|| in the way, or danger of wandering out of it.
618 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
gers to fight." And '• blessed," on that account, be the name of Je-
hovah, m the church for evermore.
2. My goodness^ Heb. my mercy, ^ and my fortress ; my high tower, and
my deliverer ; m.y shield, and he in whom I trust ; who subdueth my people
under me.
The "goodness," or "mercy," of God inchneth us, in time of
trouble, to fly to him as to a " fortress," or " tower," in which we find
refuge; and when we have thus put ourselves under his patronage,
he becometh our " deliverer" from present danger ; our " shield," or
protector, against any that may afterwards arise ; the object of our
unlimited " trust " and confidence ; and, at last, the " subduer " of
all opposition " under us."
3. Lord, what is man, that thou takest knoicledge of him? or the son of man,
that thou makest account of him 7 4. Man is like to vanity : his days • are
as a shadow that passeth away.
After a thanksgiving for the works which Jehovah had wrought,
followeth a reflection on the creature " man," for whom they were
wrought. Such a reflection introduced in the same manner, and
almost in the same words, we meet with in Ps. viii. 4 ; which pas-
sage, being cited by the apostle, Heb. ii. 6, and applied to Christ,
affords an argument, as Dr. Hammond hath justly observed, for a
like apphcation of the verses now before us, in their more eminent,
prophetic, mystical sense. For, certainly, if David, upon the re-
membrance of what God had done for him, could break forth into
this reflection, much more may we do so, for whom the Redeemer
hath been manifested in the form of a servant, and in that form
hath humbled himself to the death of the cross, to gain us the vic-
tory over principalities and powers, to put all things under our feet,
and to make us partakers of his everlasting kingdom. Lord, what,
indeed, is man, din, or, what is the son of such a miserable creature,
©i3N'^5, that thou shouldest take this knowledge, and make this ac-
count of him? man, who is now become hke vanity, or instabihty
itself; whose days are fleeting and transient as a shadow, which
glides over the earth, vanishes, and is seen no more ! Such was
human nature: but the Son of God hath taken it upon himself,
rendered it immortal, and exalted it to heaven ; w hither all will
follow him hereafter, who follow him now in the paths of righteous-
ness and holiness.
5. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and
they shall smoke. 6. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them ; shoot out thine
arrows, and destroy them. 7. Send thine hand from above ; rid me, and de-
liver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children ; 8. Whose
mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
David, having celebrated his victories over some of his enemies,
and extolled the mercy and goodness of God, to whom he ascribeth
* That is, " who art merciful to mo," the abstract bein^ put for the concrete, as in
Ps. xii. 1 ; Prov. x. 29 ; Ezek. xliv. 6 ; Hos. viii. 9. Dr. Dureli thinks we should read
''nDn, " my refuge," as in other parallel places. •
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 519
' the achievement of them, now proceedeth to request a further mani-
festation of the omnipotent arm in his favour against other hostile
forces, which still threatened his country upon his accession to the
throne ; such as the Philistiaes, Moabites, Ammonites, &c.: see
2 Sam. V. and viii. These are called, metaphorically, "great
waters," threatening to overwhelm and destroy every thing ; and,
in plainer terms, " strange children," or aliens from the covenant of
Jehovah, and the commonwealth of Israel ; children who " speak
lies, and work wickedness ;" or, as Dr. Hammond interpreteth the
8th verse, " whose mouth speaketh, or maketh profession of vanity,"
j<ra, that is, idolatry ; " and their right hand," that on which they
depend for support, the object of their confidence, " is a right hand
of falsehood," '^.nr, and one that will fail all who rely upon it for help.
Jehovah, the God of Israel, is therefore entreated once more to ap-
pear in the cause of his anointed ; to go forth, as of old, to the bat-
tle against the enemies of his people, with all the tokens of displeas-
ure and vengeance, dismaying and putting to flight these " armies
of aliens." in hke manner, the church, or mystical body of Christ,
is instant in prayer for the final completion of her hope. She wisheth
for the glorious day, when her God and Saviour shall bow the heav-
ens, and come down to judgment, causing the mountains to smoke,
and flame, and dissolve, and flow down before him ; when his
hghtnings, those arrows of his indignation, and ministers of his
vengeance, shall scatter the host of darkness, and destroy the anti-
christian powers ; when we shall be delivered from every enemy,
and from all that hate us, and David our King.
9. I will sing a new song unto thee^ O God: upon a psaltery and an instru-
ment of ten stri7igs, will I sing praises unto thee. 10. It is he that giveth
salvation unto kings : who delivereth David his servant from the hurtftd
sicord.
In the meantime, as the Israelitish church praised Jehovah for
the mercies already vouchsafed to the son of Jesse, so do we daily
magnify, with voices and instruments of music, that salvation which
God hath effected for us, by the deliverance of his Sou, our Lord,
^from death and the grave.
11. Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose
mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand, is a right hand of falsehood:
12. That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth ; that our
daughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.
13. That our garners may he full, affording all manner of store, that 07ir
sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets, or, fields :
14. That our oxen may be strong to labour ; that there be no breaking in,
nor going out ; that there be no complaining in our streets.
Prayer is again made for a continuance of God's favour, and a
complete victory over every enemy ; the happy consequences of
which, in the establishment of Israel, and the prosperity of Jerusa-
lem, are particularly described. Victory is productive of peace, and
peace is the mother of all earthly blessings to communities, and the
families that compose them ; whose happiness consisteth in a nu-
520 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
merous and hopeful progeny of sons and daughters; the former -
healthy and well nurtured, growing up, like young plants in a kindly*
soil, until they attain to their full strength and stature ; the latter,
fair and virtuous, hke so many tall, well-proportioned, highly polished,,
and richly ornamented columns, gracing the house to which they
belong. When to these we have added plenty of corn, and all other
provisions, in the granaries and store-houses ; flocks and herds, ever-
thriving and increasing ; freedom from hostile invasions and do-
mestic complaints, so that there be " no breaking in, nor going out,"
no irruption of aliens into the commonwealth, nor emigration of
inhabitants to foreign countries, by captivity, or otherwise ; we shall
find ourselves possessed of most of the ingredients, which enter into
the composition of temporal fehcity. Such felicity God promised to
his people Israel, and bestowed on them, while they kept his statutes,
and observed his laws. And therefore there is no reason for sup-
posing, as the fathers, with many others, have done, that these
wishes for " sons, daughters, corn, sheep, oxen, (fee." are uttered by
the "strange children," the aliens and idolaters mentioned in the
eleventh verse. The good things of this world may fall to the lot
of the righteous, who are distinguished from the wicked by the use
which they make of them, when given ; and by their meek resig-
nation of them, Avhen taken away. Whatever be the will of God
concerning our having or wanting these outward comforts, we know
that we have, as the faithful servants of God in every age had
before us, greater and more precious promises, a better and an en-
during substance, pleasures that fade not, and riches that fly not
away, reserved for us in a heavenly country, and a city which hath
foundations.
15. Happy is that people that is in such a case : yea, happy is that people
whose God is the Lord.
The Psalmist concludes with pronouncing the happiness of the
Israelites, when in the state of prosperity above described, and their
far greater happiness in " having Jehovah for their God," who, by
settling them in peaceful possession of the land of Canaan, and the
Jerusalem below, gave them a pledge and foretaste of that love,
which stood engaged by covenant to bring them and us to his ever-
lasting rest, in the Jerusalem above.
PSALM CXLV.
ARGUMENT. — Hitherto, in this divine book, we have been presented with checkered
scenes of danger and deliverance, distress and mercy. The voice of complaint haih
sometimes been succeeded by that of thanksgiving; and praise, at other times, hatU
terminated in prayer. But now, as if the days of mourning in Zion were ended, we
hear no more of Messiah, as a man of sorrows ; or of the church, as despised and
afflicted, after the same example in the world. Henceforth we seem not to be upon
earth, but in heaven, mingling with celestial spirits around the throne, and singing,
as in the following Psalm, 1, 2. the praises of our God and King ; extolling. 3. his
greatness, 4. his might, 5. his glory, 6, 7. his justice, 8, 9. his mercy ; 10 — 13. the
majesty of his kingdom, and, 14— 21. all his adorable perfections, and wondroua-
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 621
works. This is an alphabetical Psalm. The verse, which should begin with the
letter Nun, is wanting. But, as Dr. Hammond hath observed, it is not uncommon
for one letter, or more, to be left out in an alphabetical Psalm, as in Psalm xxv.
where T being twice repeated, p is certainly omitted. We shall therefore content
ourselves, with what we find in the original Hebrew, and in the Chaldee, without
inserting the verse which is now read in the LXX. and other translations. Bishop
Patrick mentions a saying of the ancient Hebrews, taken notice of by Valentine
Schindler, that " He could not fail to be a child of the world to come, who would'
say this Psalm three times every day." Perhaps they who, while they chant it in
full choir, enter thoroughly into the spirit of it, do experience as lively a foretaste of
the next world, as can be experienced in this.
1. I will extol thee, my God, O King ; and will bless thy name for ever and
ever. ^ 2. Every day will I bless thee ; and I will praise thy name for ever
and ever.
, The same divine person, who was, in a peculiar manner, th&
" God" and " King" of Israel, now standeth in those relations to the
Gentile Christian church, and by her is " extolled" in the words of
this Psalm, originally composed and used for that purpose among
the Israelites. Christ is our "God," who hath saved us according ta
his covenant and promise ; he is our " King," who hath set up the
universal and everlasting kingdom foretold by Daniel and the other
prophets ; who hath " all power in heaven and earth ;" and who
" must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet and swal-
lowed up death in victory." In the meantime it is the daily employ-
ment of us, his redeemed subjects and servants, to chant forth the
praises of his saving and glorious " name," with which the church,
on earth, and in heaven, will resound "for ever and ever."
3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and his greatness is un-
searchable. 4. One generation shall praise thy works unto another, and shall
declare thy mighty ads.
The " greatness" of .Tehovah, whether we consider it as relating^
to his essence or his works, is never to be fully comprehended by his
saints, whose delight it is to contemplate " the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height," Ephes. iii. 18, the extent and duration of
his being and his kingdom, the profundity of his counsels, and the
subhmity of his power and glory. These are the inexhaustible sub-
jects of divine meditation, transmitted from age to age. And as the
greatness of God our Saviour hath no bounds, so his praises should
have no end, nor should the voice of thanksgiving ever cease in the
church. As "one generation" drops it, " another" should take it up,
and prolong the deHghtful strain, till the sun and the moon shall
withdraw their light, and the stars fall extinguished from their orbs.
5. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous
works. 6. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will
declare thy greatness. 7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy
great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Those works of God, which demand to be celebrated by the
tongues of men, are here divided into three kinds. First, such as
declare his glory and excite our admiration whenever we behold
them. Of this sort are the shining frame of the heavens, and all
the bodies which move therein : the earth, with its furniture without,-
66
522 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
and its contents within ; the magnificent and stupendous ocean,
which flows around it ; the difierent tribes of animals inhabiting
both the one and the other ; and, above all, the construction of man,
the lord of this lower world. Under the second class of God's works
are ranged all those which the Psalmist styleth his " terrible acts,"
or the exertions of his power against his enemies ; such as, the de-
struction of the old world by water; of Sodom and Gomorrah by
fire ; Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea ; of the Canaanitish
nations by the sword ; and the victory gained over sin and death by
the resurrection of Christ. In the third rank stand those works
which have proceeded from the " goodness" of God, and his " right-
eousness" in the performance of his promises. And among these
we may reckon all the different species of provision, which have
been made by providence for the bodies of men in the world, and
by grace for their souls in the church. On any of these subjects
meditation cannot be long employed, without breaking forth into
wonder, gratitude, and praise.
8. The Lord is gracious^ and full of compassion ; slow to anger, and of
great mercy. 9. The Lord is good to all : and his tender mercies are over
all his works.
Mercy hath misery for its object, and is that attribute towards
which the eyes of a fallen world must naturally be turned. The
Psalmist hath accordingly, introduced her last, with great pomp and
splendour, seated in her triumphal chariot, and invested with a su-
premacy over all the works of God. She is above the heavens, and
over all the earth, so that the whole creation findeth that refuge un-
der the shadow of her wings, of which, by reason of man's trans-
gression, it standeth in need. The original word for " his tender
mercies," is v^n^, the singular of which, on-^, signifies the " womb."
The " mercies" of God towards men are, therefore, represented, by
this word, to be like those of a mother towards the child of her
" womb." And this is the very similitude which he himself hath
made use of, in that most affecting and comforting passage of the
prophecy of Isaiah, chap. xlix. 15 ; " Can a woman forget her suck-
ing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb ? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." — And
now what follows ? Are such " tender mercies" in God ? And are
they " over all his works ?" Why then,
10. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord ; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12. To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious ma-
jesty of his kingdom. 13. Thy kingdom is an everlasling kingdom, and thy
dominion endureth throughout all generations.
As " all the works" of God, in their several ways, make a due
return for the mercy vouchsafed unto them, and set forth his glory ;
so more especially ought this to be done by man, who is the princi-
pal party concerned in the fall and redemption. The "saints" are
the subjects of Messiah's kingdom ; and of that kingdom it is their
duty to publish to the world the blessings and the glories, to the end
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. S33f.
that, when these are made known, the nations may be thereby in-
duced to submit their hearts to so gracious a sceptre, and the domin-
ion of Christ may become as universal in its extent, as it is everlast-
ing in its duration.
14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be
bowed down.
After having proclaimed the glory and eternity of the kingdom,
the prophet draws a character of the King, who, in the execution
of his regal and pastoral office, is ever mindful of the necessities of
his subjects. To those who, like Peter on the water, are sinking
under temptation, he stretcheth out his saving arm, supportirig and
" upholding" them by his grace ; and to those who, like the woman
in the gospel, have long been " bowed down" with sin or sorrow, he
holdeth forth a pardon, " raising" and setting them upright again
by his mercy. The case is the same with regard to outward dis-
tresses, fiom which God either preserves or delivers his people, as he
sees best for them.
15. TVie eyes of all wait upon thee ; andthougivest them their meat in due sea-
son. 16. Thou openest thy hand, andsatisfiest the desire of every living thing.
What a just and beautiful picture is here presented to view ! We
see the whole animal world assembled before us, with their eyes
fixed on the great King and Father of all things, like those of a
flock on their shepherd, when he enters the field, in time of dearth,
with provender for them. From the same divine person as the Sa-
viour of men, as the King, Father, and Pastor of the church, do
believers, with earnest expectation, wait for the food of eternal life.
And neither one nor the other look and wait in vain. To both he
giveth their meat in due season ; " he openeth his hand, and satis-
fieth the desire of every hving thing."
17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy, or, good, merciful, in
all his works.
Thus, "in all his ways," or dispensations towards his creatures,
whether in nature or in grace, " Jehovah is righteous," faithful, and
just, in extending his promised care, by making due provision for
their wants ; and " all his works," which, from the beginning of the
world, he hath wrought in behalf of the sons of men, are full of
^' mercy and loving kindness."
18. The Lord is 7iigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon
him in tridh. 19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him : he also will
hear their cry, and will save them.
It is our happiness to have a King, who is not, like earthly princes,
difficult of access, but one of whom the meanest subject may at any
time obtain an audience, and be certain of having his request grant-
ed, if it be made " in truth," without wavering, and without hypoc-
risy, with humble confidence, and with unwearied constancy, ex-
pecting salvation from God, from none but him, and from him only
in the way of duty and obedience : " he will fulfil the desire of them
that fear him."
524 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
20. Tke Lord preserveih all them that love him : but all the wicked will he
destroy.
To protect his subjects, and destroy their enemies, is the finishing-
part of the regal character, as here drawn from its great original in
" the King of saints." By his grace he now preserveth us from in-
numerable dangers and temptations, and gradually destroyeth sin in
us : and by his power he will hereafter execute, in the fullest and
most extensive sense, this part of his office, " when the wncked shall
be consumed with the spirit of his mouth, and destroyed with the
brightness of his coming." Then the bodies of the righteous, pre-
served to a joyful resurrection, shall be reunited to their souls, and
both together, perfected and glorified, shall reign and shine with him
for ever. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ " preserveth all that love him,"
and maketh good his promise, " There shall not an hair of your head
perish." Luke xxi. 18.
21. My mouth shall speak tfie praise of the Lord : and let alljlesh bless his^
holy name for ever and ever.
The Psalmist, having now given the reasons why he had resolved
to "extol his God and King, and to bless his name for ever and
ever," concludes with repeating his resolution, and exhorts all the
world to follow his example, in time and eternity.
PSALM CXLVI.
ARGUMENT. — la this Psalm, the church is taught, 1, 2. to prolong the praises of
Jehovah, as her God and King ; 3 — 6. to beware of trusting in the powers of the
world, and to rely on the world's Creator and Redeemer, whose miracles of love and
mercy, wrought for the children of men, 7, 9. are enumerated, and the eternity of
whose kingdom, 10. is proclaimed.
1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. 2. While I live will
J praise the Lord : / will sing praises unto my God, while I have any being.
No sooner is one hallelujah ended, but another begins ; and the
prophet, in imitation of those who " rest not day nor night," stirs
himself up afresh to praise the King of glory, the Creator and Re-
deemer of men, declaring himself resolved to employ the powers and
faculties of his soul in the service of that God, who gave and pre-
served them.
3. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no
help. 4. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day
his thoughts perish. 5. Happy is he that hatli the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord his God; 6. Which made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that therein is : which keepeth truth for ever.
From Him, who is "the prince of the kings of the earth," Sion
lopks for deliverance, and by Him her true sons expect to be exalted.
He "keepeth truth for ever ;" he is able and willing to perform his
promises, and never disappoints those who rely on him. There are
no changes in the politics of heaven. The faithful servant of his
Master is by that Master infallibly approved and rewarded. Earthly-
princes, if they have the will, often want the power, even to protect
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 525
their friends. And should they want neither will nor power to ad-
vance them, yet still all depends upon the breath in their nostrils^
which, perhaps, at the very critical moment, " goeth forth ; they re-
turn to their earth ; their thoughts," and all the thoughts of those
who had hoped to rise by their means, fall into the same grave, and
are buried with them for ever. " Cease ye from man, whose breath
is in his nostrils : for wherein is he to be accounted of? But trust
ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength." Isa. ii. 22 ; xxvi. 4.
7. Which executeth judgment for the oppressed : which giveth food to the
hungry. The Lord looselh the prisoners: 8. The Lord openeth the eyes of
the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the
righteous : 9. The Lord preserveth the strangers ; he relieveth the fatherless
and widow : but the way of the wicked he tumeth upside down.
That the Lord, of whom all these things are spoken, is the Mes-
siah, or Jehovah incarnate, appears, as Dr. Hammond hath justly
observed, from what is said of him in verse 8. " The Lord openeth
the eyes of the blind ;" the miracle of restoring sight to men born
blind being one reserved for the Son of God to work, at his coming
in the flesh. " Since the world began," saith the man to whom sight
had been thus restored, " was it not heard, that any man opened the
eyes of one that was born blind." John ix. 32. This therefore was
the first of those tokens given by Jesus to the disciples of John,
whereby it might be known, that he was the expected Christ ; " Go
and tell John the things which ye have heard and seen ; the Wind
receive their sight," (fee. But how did this evince him to be the
Messiah? Plainly, because it had been foretold by the prophets,
(as in Isaiah, xxxv. 5, xxix. 18, xlii. 18, so in this passage of our
Psalm, which is exactly similar to those texts,) that Messiah, when
he came, should give sight to the Wind. Now, if one part of the
Psalmist's description belong to Christ, the other members of it may
do so likewise, it being evident that the whole is spoken of the same
person. He, therefore, is " the God of Jacob, who made heaven and
earth, the sea and all that therein is ;" and, upon his appearing
among men in the body of our flesh, he showed himself possessed
of power to relieve all the wants, corporal and spiritual, of poor lost
mankind. When he rescued men from the bondage of Satan, he
*' executed judgment for the oppressed :" when he fed thousands by
a miracle, or when he preached the word to such as desired to hear
and receive it, he "gave food to the hungry :" when, by pardon and
grace, he released those who were bound with the chains of their
sins, he " loosed the prisoners :" when he poured light into the sight-
less eye-ball, or illuminated with saving knowledge the understand-
ing of the ignorant, he "opened the eyes of the blind:" when he
made the crooked woman straight, or rectified the obliquity of a de-
praved will, he " raised those that were bowed down :" while he pro-
tecteth, and guideth to the city of their eternal habitation, the sons
of Adam, who are exiles, pilgrims, and sojourners upon earth, he
-" preserveth the strangers ;" when he became a husband to the
626 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
church, and a parent to her destitute children, he " reheved the fa-
therless and widow :" and when he shall come in his glorious ma-
jesty, to reward his servants, and to confound their enemies, it will
be seen how " he loveth the righteous, and turneth the way of the
wicked upside down." Happy the people of such a God ; happy the
subjects of such a King ! Rejoice, and sing, and shout aloud ; for lo,
10. The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion^ unto all gener-
ations. Praise ye the Lord.
THIRTIETH DAY— EVENING PRAYER.
PSALM CXLVII.
ARGUMENT. — It hath been conjectured from ver. 2. that this Psalm was written to
celebrate the return of Israel from Babylon, when Jerusalem and the temple were
rebuilt. 1 — 3. The people of God are exhorted to praise him for the mercies vouch-
safed to them ; 4 — 6. for his wisdom, power, and goodness ; 7 — 9. for his providen-
tial care, and, 10, 11. the wonderful salvation wrought by his arm ; 12 — 14. for the
security, increase, and prosperity of the church ; 15 — 18. for the happy change of her
condition, like that produced in nature, when spring succeeds to winter ; 19, 20. and
for the glorious privilege of the divine word, revealed and committed to her.
L Praise ye the Lord : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it
is pleasant ; and praise is comely.
Praise is " good " and acceptable to God our Saviour, whose glory
is the great end of man's creation and redemption : and it is " pleas-
ant and comely" for man, being the only return he can make for
those, and all other mercies ; the offspring of gratitude, and the ex-
pression of love ; the elevation of the soul, and the antepast of heav-
en ; its own reward in this Hfe, and an introduction to the felicities
of the next.
2. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts
of Israel.
If this Psalm were written on occasion of the return from
Babylon, and the rebuilding of the earthly city, the ideas are to be
transferred, as in other Psalms of the same kind, to a more impor-
tant restoration from a much worse captivity, and to the building up
of the church under the gospel, when Christ " gathered together in
one the children of God that were scattered abroad ;" John, xi. 52 ;
that is, in the words of our Psalm, he " gathered together the out-
casts of Israel !" So shall he again, at the resurrection, " gather
together his elect from the four winds," Matt. xxiv. 31, and " build
up a Jerusalem," in which they shall serve and praise him for ever.
3. He healeth the broken in hearty and bindeth up their wounds.
The " broken hearts and wounded spirits " of the Israelites were
" healed and made whole," when they returned to their own land,
when they beheld Jerusalem rising again in beauteous majesty, and
sung the songs of Zion in the courts of the temple. Thus Christ
came to "preach deHverance to the captives, and to bind up the
broken-hearted ;" Isa. Ixi. 1 ; Luke, iv. 18 ; to speak pardon and
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 527
peace to the wounded and contrite spirit, and to put a new song of
thanksgiving in the mouth of the penitent, which he might sing,
when restored to the holy city, and the house of his heavenly Father.
The hour is coming, when God shall heal the breaches which death
has made in the bodies of his people, and translate them likewise
from Babylon to Jerusalem.
4. He telleth the number of the stars : he calleth them all by their navies.
And he who does this, cannot be ignorant of the situation and
circumstances of his elect. He knoweth each individual, and num-
bereth all the atoms which go to the composition of his frame. He
can call his saints from the depths of earth and sea, "by their
names," as when once " he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come
forth ;" and he can fix them in radiant circles round his throne in
the kingdom of glory, vying, for multitude, as well as splendour,
with those bright orbs which glitter by night in the spangled firma-
ment of heaven ; so that what Baruch saith of the stars, may well
be applied to the seed of Abraham, of whom it was foretold, that
they should equal tlie stars in number. Gen. xv. 5. " The stars
shine in their watches, and rejoice ; when he calleth them, they say,
Here we be ; and so with cheerfulness they show light unto him
that made them." Baruch, iii. 34.
5. Great is our Lord and of great power : his understanding is infinite :
Heb. of his understanding there is no member, or, computation ; ~iDd?3 'j-'k.
This is a proper conclusion drawn from the former part of the
Psalm, and especially from the preceding verse. The greatness of
God's power, which overcometh all difficulties to effect the salvation
of his people, is not to be grasped by the human mind ; and that
wisdom which numbers the stars of heaven, and the sand of the
sea, and the generations of the sons of Abraham, can itself be sub-
ject to the rules of no arithmetic.
6. The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
To exalt and reward the humble, penitent, believing, and obe-
dient ; to depress and punish the proud, impenitent, unbelieving,
and disobedient ; these are the measures and ends of all the divine
dispensations. And as a man ranks himself in one or other of
these two divisions, he may expect from heaven storm or sunshine,
mercy or judgment.
7. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving ; sing praise upon the harp unto
our God. 8. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for
the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the m,ountains. 9. He giveth to
the beast his food, and to the young ravens ichich cry.
The faithful praise God for his goodness to the animal world, both
on account of that goodness in itself, and also because they behold
therein an emblem and assurance of his mercy to themselves. The
watchful care of Providence over all creatures, speaks the same
language to us which,Jehovah made use of to Joshua, and which
the apostle hath applied to Christians : " I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee." Josh. i. 5 ; Heb. xiii. 5. He who, by sending rain
■628 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
on the mountainsj which could not otherwise be watered, provideth
food for the wild beasts inhabiting those mountains, will never leave
the Iambs of his flock destitute. And he who feedeth the young of
the unclean raven, when they cry, and, as it were, in their way,
call upon him for a supply of their wants, will he, in the day of
dearth and calamity, forsake the meek and harmless dove, that
mourneth continually in prayer before him ? The desponding ser-
vant of God need only therefore put to himself the question which
we find asked by the Creator in the book of Job, chap, xxxviii. 41 :
'• Who provideth for the raven his food ? When his young ones
cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat ;" they wander and
find it. Our Lord pressed this argument on his disciples ; Luke,
xii. 24 : " Consider the ravens :" Matt. vi. 26 : " Behold the fowls
of the air ; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much
better than they?"
Behold, and look away your low despair ;
See the light tenants of the barren air :
To them, nor stores, nor granaries belong,
Nought but the woodland, and the pleasing song:
Yet, your kind heav'niy Father bends his eye
On the least wing that flits along the sky.
To him they sing when spring renews the plain,
To him they cry, in winter's pinching reign ;
Nor is their music, nor their plaint, in vain :
He hears the gay, and the distressful call,
And with unsparing bounty fills them all.
Will he not care for you, ye faithless, say?
Is he unwise ? Or, are ye less than they ? — Thomson.
10. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse : he taketh not pleasure
in the legs of a man. 11. 7%e Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Am,
in those that hope in fits mercy.
f, therefore, the inference deduced above be a just one, namely,
that God, who takes care of the wild beasts, and the birds of the air,
will support and defend his church ; then, however weak she may
be, and however strong her adversaries may be, yet she may rest
secure, as having him on her side, to whom it is equal, to save by
many, or by few ; who giveth not the victory to the pomp and pride
of carnal strength, to thousands or ten thousands, but to "those who
fear him, and hope in his mercy." The history of Israel is one con-
tinual exemplification of this truth ; and, in our spiritual warfare,
" this is the victory which overcometh the world, even oar faith."
1 John, V. 4.
12. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem ; praise thy God^ O Zinn. 13. For he
Jiath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; lie hath blessed thy children within
thee. 14. He maketh peace in thy borders, and flleth thee with the finest of
the wheat.
The church, like Jerusalem of old, erected and preserved by the
wisdom, and power, and goodness of God, ^ exhorted (o praise him
for all the benefits and blessings vouchsafed unto her ; for the
increase of " her children within her ;" for the " peace" which she
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 629
at any time enjoyeth " in her borders," while she is here below ; for
the plentiful provision made by her pastors, to satisfy the needs of
those who " hunger and thirst after righteousness ;" and for the pro-
tection of the Almighty, " strengthening the bars of her gates,"
and securing to her the possession of all these comforts ; which, in
the heavenly Jerusalem, shall be rendered perfect and indefeasible
for evermore.
15. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word, runneth very
swiftly. 16. He giveth snow like wool : he scatter eth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17. He casteth forth his ice like morsels : who can stand, before his cold ?
IS. He sendeth out his word, and melteth them : he causeth fiis, wind to blow^
-and the waters flow.
The wonders of nature represent to us the miracles of grace; and
the change of seasons produceth not greater alterations in the world,
than those which take place in the church, when her God hideth
from her, or restoreth to her, the light of his countenance, which,
like its emblem, the bright ruler in the heavens, at its departure
leaves winter behind it ; and brings the spring with it at its return.
^' The sun," says Bishop Sherlock, " is the great spirit of the world,
in the hght of which all things are made to ' rejoice ;' perpetual
spring attends his course ; all things revive at his approach, attd put
on a new face of youth and beauty ; winter and frost lag behind
him; nature grows deformed, and sickens at his departure." — Dis-
€ourses, vol. v. What the sun is to the world, the same is Christ to
the church. When the heart of man turns away from him, and
deprives itself of his gracious illumination ; when ignorance suc-
ceeds to knowledge, that is, darkness to light ; when faith fails, and
all its fair productions wither away ; when " the love of many is
waxen cold," and the fertilizing streams of charity are frozen to the
bottom. On the other hand, when God " sendeth out his word, and
melteth them ;" when he " bloweth with his spirit, and," by these
genial influences from above, "the waters are made to flow;" when
faith revives, and shoots into vigour, and beauty, and fruitfulness ;
and when the hearts of men are warmed, as well as their under-
standings illuminated : what is all this, but a winter, and a spring,
Hke those which, in their turns, annually deform and renew the
face of the earth, at the "word and command of God," in either
case, " running swiftly," and operating efficaciously ?
19. He sho^ceth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his jiulgments unto
Israel. 20. He hath not dealt so with any nation : and, as for his judgments,
they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.
That "word," the effects of which upon the spiritual system are
similar to those experienced by nature in the vernal season, that
'^'word was showed unto Jacob," and became the property of "Israel,"
while Israel continued to be the church of God. It hath since been
made over, with all its types realized and its prophecies accomplished
in Jesus, to the church Christian ; it is that peculiar blessinof, which
distinguishes her from the rest of the world, and for which her
children are bound, at all times, to " praise the Lord."
67
630 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
PSALM CXLVIII.
ARGUMENT. — All the creatures in the invisible and visible vi^orld are called upon by
the Psalmist to unite in a grand chorus of praise and thanksgiving. The various
parts are to be performed by, 1, 2. the angelic hosts; 3 — 6. the material heavens,
and the luminaries placed in them ; 7. the ocean, with its inhabitants ; S. the meteors
of the air ; 9, 10. the earth, as divided into hills and valleys, with the vegetables
that grow out of it ; 11 — 13. the human race of every degree, of each sex, and of
every age ; 14. more especially the Israel, or church of God.
1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him
in the heights. 2. Praise ye him, all ye angels ; praise ye him all his hosts.
When St. John saw in vision the King of glory seated on his
throne, he tells us that he heard all the angels which stood around
the throne, with the elders, and every creature in heaven, earth,
and sea, lifting up their voices, and singing together a hymn of
thanksgiving in honour of him. Such a choir we find here sum-
moned by the inspired Psalmist, and exhorted to join and assist him
in praising the same Divine Person, whom the elders, in the Revela-
tion, declare " worthy to receive glory, and honour, and power,"
because he " created all things, and for his pleasure they are and
were created:" Rev. v. 13; iv. 11. From the heavens and those
unutterable heights, where hosts of immortal spirits, admitted to a
sight of their King, enjoy unfading pleasuies, the song is to begin.
And when the strain is thus set up by the celestial part of the choir,
it is to be taken up, and echoed back, by the creatures of this lower
world, animate and inanimate, which have all their several parts
assigned them, in the great work of glorifying their Creator.
3. Praise ye him sun and moon : praise him^ all ye stars of light. 4. Praise
him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye icaters that be above the heavens. 5. IM
them, praise the name of the Lord : for he commanded, and. they uere created.
6. He hath also established them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree
which shall not pass.
The material heavens, through all their various regions, with the
luminaries placed in them, and the waters sustained by them, though
they have neither speech nor language, and want the tongue of men,
yet by their splendour and magnificence, their motions and their in-
fluences, all regulated and exerted according to the ordinance of their
Maker, do, in a very intelligible and striking manner, declare the
glory of God ; they call upon us to translate their actions into our
language, and copy their obedience in our lives ; that so we may,
both by word and deed, glorify, with them, the Creator and Redeemer
of the universe.
7. Praise the hord from the earth, ye dragons, or, whales, and all deeps :
From heaven above, the Psalmist descendeth to the deep beneath,
which, while it proclaims the power, observes the laws and decrees,
of him who made it, and poured it abroad. And the same may be
said of its enormous inhabitants, which are under the command of
Jehovah, and of none but him.
8. Fire and hail ; stww and vapours ; stormy wind ^fulfilling his word:
These are so many messengers always ready to go forth, at the
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 531
command of the Most High, for the purposes of mercy or judgment.
They praise and glorify God after their manner, while they " fulfil
his word" upon the earth.
9. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10. Beasts^
and all cattle ; creeping things, and Jlying fowl :
Who shall ever understand and comprehend all the wisdom of
God displayed in the vegetable world, from the cedar to the hyssop ;
in the animal, from the elephant to the pismire, from the eagle to
the sparrow ? The more we study them, the more we shall find
him glorified in them ; and the more, on that account, will he be
glorified by us.
11. Kings of the earth, and all people; princes and all the judges of the
earth: li2. Both young men, and. maidens ; old men, and children: 13. Let
them praise the name of the Lord : for his name alone is excellent ; his glory
is ahove the earth and heaven.'^
After the whole creation hath been called upon to praise Jehovah;
man, for whom the whole was made ; man, the last and more per-
fect worli of God ; man, that hath been since redeemed by the blood
of the Son of God incarnate, is exhorted to join and fill up the uni-
versal choius of heaven and earth, as being connected with both
worlds, that which now is, and that which is to come. Persons of
every degree, of each sex, and of every age ; " kings," whose power
God hath made an image of his own, and who are the suns of their
respective systems; "judges," and magistrates of all kinds, who
derive their power, as (he moon and planets do their light, from its
original source; "young men and maidens," in the flower of health,
strength, and beauty; "old men," who have accomplished their war-
fare, and are going out of life ; "children," who are just come into
it, and see every thing new before them ; all these have their several
reasons for " praising the Lord, whose name is excellent, and his
glory above heaven and earth."
14. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, even
of the children of Israel^ a people near unto him. Pra^e ye the Lord.
As men, above all other creatures, so, above other men, the "Israel"
of God, the " people" that are admitted to draw "near unto him," in
his house, by faith and, charity, by prayer and participation of the
sacraments, are bound to praise him, who now "exalteth" them from
sin to righteousness, and will hereafter exalt them from dust to glory.
Since few of my readers may, perhaps, have met with a para-
phrase on the foregoing Psalm, that has hitherto, I believe, only
made its appearance in a periodical publication or two, 1 shall take
the liberty to subjoin it, as a piece, which cannot but be acceptable
to all true lovers of sacred poetry. It was written, as I have been
lately informed, by the learned and ingenious Dr. Ogilvie, at sixteea
years of age.
* Nee ad solos Hehrffios haec pertinet adhortatio, sed ad omnes omnino homines :
estque adeo veluli proludinm vocatioiiis Gentiliiim. Peiirn enirn landare, ut par est,
non pospunt, qui eum non bene nArunt. ; nee enm satis n6mnl, qui Evanjrclium nuu-
quam audiverunt ; e quo maximae Dei laiides efflorescunt. — Clericus in loc.
632 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
1.
Begin, my soul, th' exalted lay.
Let each enraptur'd thought obey,
And praise the Almighty's name.
Lo ! heaven and earth, and seas and skies,
In one melodious concert rise,
To swell th' inspiring theme.
2.
Ye fields of light, celestial plains.
Where gay transporting beauty reigns,
Ye scenes divinely fair,
Your Maker's wondrous power proclaim,
Tell how he form'd your shining frame,
And breath'd the fluid air.
3.
Ye angels, catch the thrilling sound ;
While all th' adoring thrones around
His boundless mercy sing ;
Let every listening saint above
Wake all the tuneful soul of love,
And touch the sweetest string.
4.
Join, ye loud spheres, the vocal choir ;
Thou, dazzling orb of liquid fire.
The mighty chorus aid :
Soon as grey evening gilds the plain.
Thou, moon, protract the melting strain,
And praise him in the shade.
5.
Thou heaven of heavens, his vast abode ;
Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God,
Who call'd yon worlds from night :
" Ye shades, dispel !" — th' Eternal said ;
At once th' involving darkness fled.
And nature sprung to light.
6.
Whate'er a blooming world contains.
That wings the air, that skims the plains,
United praise bestow :
Ye dragons, sound his awful name
To heaven aloud ; and roar acclaim,
Ye swelling deeps below.
7.
Let every element rejoice :
Ye thundeps, burst with awful voice
To him who bids you roll :
His praise in softer notes declare,
Each whisp'ring breeze of yielding air,
And breathe it to the soul.
To him, ye graceful cedars, bow ;
Ye tow'ring mountains, bending low,
Your great Creator own :
Tell, when affrighted nature shook,
How Sinai kindled at his look.
And trembled at his frown.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 633
9.
Ye flocks that haunt the humble vale,
Ye insects flutt'ring on the gale.
In mutual concourse rise ;
Crop the gay rose's vermeil bloom,
And waft its spoils, a sweet perfume,
In incense to the skies.
10.
Wake, all ye mountain tribes, and sing ;
Ye plumy warblers of the sprmg.
Harmonious anthems raise
To him who shap'd your finer mould.
Who tipp'd your glitt'ring wings with gold,
And tun'd your voice to praise.
11.
Let man, by nobler passions sway'd.
The feehng heart, the judging head.
In heav'nly praise employ ;
Spread his tremendous name around,
Till heav'n's broad arch rings back the sound,
The gen'ral burst of joy.
12.
Ye whom the charms of grandeur please,
Nufs'd on the downy lap of ease.
Fall prostrate at his throne ;
Ye princes, rulers, all adore ;
Praise him, ye kings, who makes your pow'r
An image of his own.
13.
Ye fair, by nature form'd to move,
O praise th' eternal source of love.
With youth's enliv'ning fire :
Let age take up the tuneful lay.
Sigh his blest name — then soar away.
And ask an angel's lyre.
PSALM CXLIX.
ARGUMENT. — The children of Zion are excited, 1 — 3. to rejoice, and sing th«
praises of their King, on account, 4. of the salvation which he has already wrought
for them, and which will hereafter be completed in them, when, 5. they shall enter
into his rest, and, 6 — 9. triumph with him over the persecuting powers of the world,
and all the opposers of Christ, on whom will then be executed the judgment written.
The Jews, mistaking, as usual, the time, place, and nature of Messiah's glorious
kingdom, imagine this Psalm will receive its accomplishment, by their being made
rulers of the nations, and lords of all things here below.
1. Praise ye the Lord. Sing- unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in
the congregation of saints. 2. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him ; let
the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3. Let them praise his name
in the dance ; let them sing praises u7ito him with the timbrel and harp.
Christians are now the people to whom belong the names and
characters of " saints, Israel, and children of Zion." They " sing"
this holy " song," as the Psalmist hath enjoined them to do. They
634 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
sing it " new" in its evangelical sense, as new men, celebrating new
victories, new and greater mercies, a spiritual salvation, an eternal
redemption. They " rejoice," with hearts, voices, instruments, and
every other token of joy, " in him who hath made," or created them
again, in righteousness and true holiness ; they are "joyful in their
King," who hath himself overcome, and is now leading them on to
final conquest and triumph, to honour and immortality.
4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people : he xoill beautify the meek
with salvation. 5. The saints* shall he joyful with glory : they shall sing-
aloud upon their beds, or, places of rest.
Such " pleasure" the King of Zion taketh in his people, that he
hath not disdained to become like one of them ; to partake of their
flesh and blood, and to give them his Spirit ; he was made man, to
purchase them by his death ; and as a man, he is gone into heaven,
to prepare a place for them. From thence he will return, to " beau-
tify the meek with salvation," and place on the heads of his true
disciples, the lowly, patient, and peaceable ones, a bright and incor-
'ruptible crown. Therefore are " the saints joyful in glory ; they
sing aloud," in a state of perfect ease and security, resting from their
labours, but not from their hallelujahs.
6. T^e high praises of God in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their
hand ; 7. To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the
people : 8. To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of
iron ; 9. To execute upon them the judgment written : this honour have all
his saints. Praise ye tlie Lord.
To those who are saints indeed, and who are acquainted with
the genuine spirit of the gospel, how obvious is it, that th'e scene,
of which we have here a prophetical exhibition, is one that cannot
take place till after the resurrection, because the followers of the
Lamb have certainly nothing to do with vengeance in this world,
though they are to judge, not only men but angels, ii'i the next, 1
Cor. vi. 2, 3 ; when they shall be called up to sit on thrones, as as-
sessors, at the condemnation of their once-insulting persecutors, who
will be cut asunder with the "two-edged sword," and bound with
indissoluble " chains." Thus will be executed upon them the eternal
"judgment written" and announced against the enemies of Messiah,
in the Scriptures of truth. " This honour will all his saints then
have."
PSALM CL.
ARGUMENT.— The Psalmist exhorteth men to praise Jehovah, 1. for his holiness,
and the firmament of his power, 2. for the wonders of his might, and for bis excel-
lent greatness, 3 — 5. with all kinds of music. 6. He concludeth his divine book of
praises, by calling upon every thing that hath breath, to employ that breath in
declaring the glory of him who gave it.
* In this verse the Hebrew verbs are in the future time. In the verse following^
the original hath no verb at all. The liberty is therefore taken to render ihemj
accordingly.
A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS. 535
1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary, or, for his holiness ;
'praise him in, or, for the firmament, or, expansion, of his power.
If our translation be retained, the meaning is, that God should be
praised in the " sanctuary," or temple below, and likewise in " hea-
ven" above ; the former being planned and constructed as a resem-
blance of* the latter. But the context rather, perhaps, requires us to
suppose the Psalmist giving the reasons why God should be praised ;
namely, on account of his "holiness," and of his "power;" which
power is more especially displayed in the formation of the " firma-
ment," or " expansion" of the material heavens, and their incessant
operations, by means of the hght and the air of which they are com-
posed, upon the earth and all things therein. These are the appoint-
ed instruments of life and motion in the natural world, and they
afford us some idea of that power of God unto salvation which is
manifested in the church, by the effects produced on the souls of
men, through the gracious influences of the light divine and the
spirit of hoHness, constituting the " firmament of God's power" in the
new creation.
2. Praise him for his mighty acts : praise him according to his excellent
greatness.
"Mighty" were the '-'acts" which God wrought for Israel, and
" great" was the Holy One in the mid&t of his ancient people ; but
far mightier acts did he perform in Christ Jesus, for the redemption
of the world ; and more excellent " greatness" hath he manifested
in the conversion of the nations, the overthrow of paganism, and the
erection and preservation of the Christian church. O that her grati-
tude bore some proportion to his goodness !
3. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet ; praise him with the psaltery
and harp. 4. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with
stringed instruments and organs. 5. Praise him upon the loud cymbals;
praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals.
It is impossible for us to distinguish and describe the several sorts
of musical instruments here mentioned, as the Hebrews themselves
acknowledge their ignorance in this particular. Thus much is clear,
that the people of God are enjoined to use all the various kinds of
them, in the performance of their divine services. And why should
they not be so used under the gospel ? We read of sacred music
before the law, in the instance of " Miriam, the prophetess, the sister
of Aaron," who, to celebrate the deliverance from Pharaoh and the
Egyptians, " took a timbrel in her hand, and the women went out
after her, with timbrels and dances :" Exod. xv. 20. The custom,
therefore, was not introduced by the law", nor abolished with it.
Well regulated music, if ever it had the power of calming the pas-
sions, if ever it enlivened and exalted the affections of men in the
worship of God (purposes for which it was formerly employed,) doubt-
less hath still the same power, and can still afford the same aids to
devotion. When the beloved disciple was, in spirit, admitted into
the celestial choir, he not only heard them " singing" hymns of praise,
536 A COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.
but he heard Hkewise "the voice of harpers harping upon their
harps." Rev. xiv. 2. And why that, which saints are represented
as doing in heaven, should not be done, according to their skill and
ability, by saints upon earth ; or why instrumental music should be
abolished as a legal ceremony, and vocal music, which was as much
so, should be retained, no good reason can be assigned. Sacred mu-
sic, under proper regulations, removes the hinderances of -our devo-
tion, cures the distractions of our thoughts, and banishes weariness
from our minds. It adds solemnity to tlie public service, raises all
the devout passions in the soul, and causes our duty to become our
delight. " Of the pleasures of heaven," says the eloquent and ele-
gant Bishop Atterbury, " nothing further is revealed to us, than that
they consist in the practice of holy music, and holy love ; the joint
enjoyment of which, we are told, is to be the happy lot of all pious
souls, to endless ages." It may be added that there is no better
method of combating the mischievous effects flowing from the abuse
of music, than by applying it to its true and proper use. If the
worshippers of Baal join in a chorus to celebrate the praises of their
idol, the servants of Jehovah should drown it, by one that is stronger
and more powerful, in praise of him who made heaven and earth.
If the men of the world rejoice in the object of their adoration, let
the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
6. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
The breath of natural life, which God hath breathed into our nos-
trils, and the breath of that new and eternal life, which he hath
given us through Christ Jesus our Lord, should be returned in halle-
lujahs. And then the church, composed of many and different
members, all actuated like the pipes of a well-tuned organ, by the
same spirit, and conspiring together in perfect harmony, would be-
come one great instrument sounding forth the praises of God most
high.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord ! With this
wish the sweet Psalmist of Israel closes the songs of Zion. With
the same wish the author desires to close these meditations upon
them ; giving thanks to the Father of mercies, and the God of all
comforts, by whose most gracious favour and aid they have been
begun, continued, and ended ; and humbly praying, that no errors,,
or imprrprieties, from which, through human infirmity, during the
course of a long work, the most diligent and careful are not exempt,
may prevent his labours from contributing, in some small degree, to
promote the improvement and consolation of the redeemed, the hon-
our and glory of the Redeemer, who is " the root and the offspring
of David, and the bright and morning star."* Amen.
* Rev. xxii. 16.
'^iH Z 'tf iBiShif.
'si&H
VALUABLE BOOKS
RECENTLY ISSUED BY
ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, NEW YORK,
AND
THOMAS CARTER, MARKET ST., PITTSBURG.
"THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, from the earliest date
down to the present time, containing a full and grnphic description of the Disruption
in 1843. By the Rev. W. M. Hetherington, author of '' The Minister's Family,"
" History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines," &c. 1 vol. 8vo.
LECTURES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES ; By the Rev. John Dick,
D. D., author of " Lectures on Theology," &c. 1 vol. 8vo.
THE SELECT WORKS OF THOMAS CHALMERS. D.D.andLL.D. 7 vols.
12mo.
Contents. — Vols. 1 and 2, on Natural Theolosry ; 3 and 4, on the Miraculous and Internal
Evidences of Christianity; 5, Moral and Mental Philosophy, — this volume has never before been
published; 6, Commercial Discourses, — one half of which is entirely new; 7, Astronomical Dis-
courses,— the one half of which has never before been published. 4th uniform edition.
CHALMERS' SERMONS, complete in 2 vols. 8vo., containing all his Sermons and
Discourses, from the last Glasgow edition, uniform with his " Lectures on Romans."
LECTURES ON ROMANS ; by Thomas Chalmers, D.D. and LL.D. 1 vol. 8vo.
CHALMERS' NATURAL THEOLOGY. 2 vols. 12mo.
" EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 2 vols. 12mo.
" MORAL AND MENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 1 vol. 12mo.
" The reputation of Dr. Chalmers stands high — too high to be affected by the opinions of ordinary
men. As a literary man and a man of science — as a Christian and a Theolotrian — as a profound
thinker and powerful writer— as an expositor of fundamental truth in Divinity and philosophy, and
a practical man in the various departments of Christian labour — we are much deceived if he has his
superior, or in all these respects his equal, among the Divines of the present ajje, anrJof any country.
Of his fame as a preacher, no man need speak. Of hi.s skill in dividinor the truth of God, and of his
power in enforcing it, all men are convinced. Of his metaphysical acumen, and adroitness in do-
fendinor the truth against "many adversaries." his published works furnish the most ample evidence.
He is the champion of the Lord's hosts, boldly going forth with the sling and the stone, to meet the
Goliath of the uncircumcised." — Boston Recorder.
SUDDARD'S BRITISH PULPIT ; containing Discourses by the most eminent Liv-
ing Divines, in England, Scotland and Ireland, 5th edition, 2 vols. Svo. 10 portriats.
"This splendid work consists of two volumes, each numbering more than .500 pages, handsomely
bound ; each volume ornamented witli portraits of five of the most distinguished divines whose ser-
mons are here published. Each volume contains about sixty sermons, only one from the same
person. They take the range of evanrrelioal denominations, the Ei)iscopal and Congregational
being the most numerous. Although the author of the selection does not profess to he res|)onsible
for all the sentiments expressed in them, they all come from men noted for their practical jrodline w.
The theological student and the settled pastor, will alike find profitable and pleasing occupatiot i
studying them, as they constitute a rich mine of ministerial eloquence and Christian sentiment »
Baptist Advocate,
(1)
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF BISHOP BUTLER, containing Analogy of
Natural and Revealed Region, Dissertations, Sermons, Correspondence witli Dr.
Clarke, &c. &c. To which is prefixed, an Account of the Character and Writings
of the Author. By Dr. Halilkx, Bishop of Gloucester. 1 vol. 8vo. Splendid edi-
tion on pica type and fine paper.
"We think the religious public must welcome with gratitude the appearance of this volume, con-
taining the writings of so distinguished a logi^uan and divine. The Analogy of Butler enjoys a
reputation scarcely second to any other book than the Bible : to praise it would be a work of super-
erogation. As a specimen of analogical reasordng, we suppose it has never been equalled ; and its
influence, in promoling ministerial efliciency, can hardly be over-rated. Some ministers are in the
habit of reading it, carefully, once every year. The Analogy occupies about one half the volume;
the remainder consists of Dissertations and Sermons on important subjects, and may be read with
pleasure and profit. The volume contains more than 600 pages, and is furnished at a very low
price." — N:w England Puritan.
BUTLER'S ANALOGY. Beautiful large type. 1 vol. 8vo.
BUTLER'S SERMONS. 1 vol. 8vo.
JAY'S MORNING EXERCISES FOR THE CLOSET, for Every Day in the
Year. New edition, 2 vols, in one, 12mo.
JAY'S EVENING EXERCISES FOR THE CLOSET, for Every Day in the
Year. New edition, 2 vols, in one, 12mo., bound uniform with the Morning Exercises,
" Rich with instruction, vivacious, simple, and elegant in style; brief, lucid, and scriptural in dis-
cussion ; and always flowing with an unction from the heart of the pious author; this book is
probably, doing more to fan the flame of devotion, than any other human composition in our language.
A few minutes, morning and evening, spent in reading the exercises belonging to the day, would,
imperceptibly furnish the reader with many important ideas, many delightful comparisons of scrip-
ture, and above all, if he be a man of spiritual relish, with many of the precious consolations of
religion." — Presbyterian Advocate.
WORKS BY THE REV. JOHN A. CLARKE, D.D.,
Late Rector of St. Andrews, Philadelphia.
I.
A WALK ABOUT ZION. Revised and Enlarged. Fifth edition j 12mo. 2 steei
engravings.
" The spirit of the book is above all price. It is that charity which envieth not, vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up. No intelligent man will be disposed to deny that the arrogant principle of
Puseyism has extensively infected the Episcopal Church in Great Britain and this country. When,
therefore, we find a writer of that communion who is not in the least affected by it, but who utters
in Christian meekness and simplicity, sentiments becoming the liberal philosopher and the humble
minded believer in Jesus, our heart yearns the more towards him on account of the strong adverse
influence, which, we know, he is obliged constantly to resist," — Baptist Advocate.
II.
THE PASTOR'S TESTIMONY Fifth edition; 12mo. Revised and corrected ;
2 steel engravings.
" We admire the spirit and sentiments of the author on all practical points of religion." — Presby-
terian.
" Mr. Clarke is an eminently evangelical writer of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and his pro-
ductions have been extensively read by other denominations." — New York Observer.
III.
THE YOUNG DISCIPLE ; or a Memoir of Anggonetta R. Peters. Fourth edi
tion 12mo.
"Dr. Clarke has for some time been known to the religious public, as one of the most judicious
and excellent writers of the day. His works are all characterized by good thoughts expressed in 8
graceful and appropriate manner, by great seriousness and unction, and an earnest desire to promot*
the spiritual interests of his fellow men," — Albany Daily Advertiser.
IV.
GATHERED FRAGMENTS. Fourth edition ; 12 mo. 2 steel engravings.
CoNTAJNiNG,— The M'Ellen Family.— The Paralytic. — The Withered Branch Revived- -The
Baptism.— Little Ann.— The Meeting of the Travellers.— Mary May wood. — A Family in Eterwit^.
— One whose Record is on High, &c., &c.
V.
GLEANINGS BY THE WAY ; or Travels in the Covmlry. 1 vol. 12mo
12)
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS.
MEMOIR OF THE REV. CHARLES NISBET, D.D., late President of Uick-
ensoM College, Carlisle. By Samuel Miller, D.D., Professor in the Theological
Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey. 1 vol. 12mo., with Portrait.
" We have been much gratified at the appearance of ihis work, It forms a most valuable addition
to the Presbyterian Biography of our country. Dr. Nisbet, distinguie^hod alike by his own personal
acquirements in literature, and his devotion to the cause of sound learning, was deserving of a last-
ing remembrance; and yet few had the opportunity of knowing much of his true character and ser-
vices, until the appearance of this interesting memoir. The fidelity and excellence with which the
work is executed, may be concluded from the name of the biographer." — Presbyterian.
MEMOIR OF THE REV. HENRY MARTYN, Chaplain to the Honourable
East India Company. By the Rev. John Sargent, M. A. Fourth American from
the Tenth London Edition. 1 vol. l2mo.
" Most biographical works have their brii^f day of popularity and usefulness, and then give place
to others, which in their turn, also gradually pass into disuse and fo rgetfu I ness. Not so with the
biography of Henry Martyn. Though his life was scarcely protracted beyond the period of youth,
yet he lived much in a little time, and his name stands forth as among the brightest stars of the
generation to which he belongs. His wonderful powers of acquiring knowledge, united with his
fervent piety, and earnest zeal, and self-sacrificing spirit, in the cause of his master, has given his
character an interest which will not be likely to grow less with the lapse of ages." — Eve. Journal.
ESSAYS ON EPISCOPACY, AND THE APOLOGY FOR APOSTOLIC
ORDER REVIEWED, By the late John M. Mason, D.D. Edited by the Rev.
Ebenezer Mason, 1 vol. 12mo.
"A most timely republication. In the hands of an intellectual giant like Dr. Mason, the mon-
'strous deformities of high church episcopacy and its pigmy advocates were crusiied an<l held up to
public contempt, apparently without effort. The sarcasm with which the assuaiption of exclusive
Christianity is treated, is perfectly withering, and yet it is dealt with so much decorum that the
guilty sufferer is left no room to complain of unfairness or aggravation. The argument is strong,
and, we hesitate not to say, unanswerable. Whoever then wishes to see the scantiness of ground
on which high churchism is built, may satisfy himself by reading this book." — B ip'isl. Advomte.
ESSAYS ON THE CHURCH OF GOD. By the late John M. Mason, D.D.
Edited by the Rev. Ebenezer Mason, 1 vol. 12mo.
"This work is the production of one of the most splendid minds which any age can boast. We
doubt not, that it will live through many generations, and will convey to posterity one of the most
luminous and scrptural views of the church of God, with which the church hcis ever been favoured."
— Daily American Citizen.
"They are learned and lively, sometimes severe, and always entertaining, the reasoning cogent
and simple, and the style that of the eloquent man whose name is still held by many in affectionate
remembrance." — N. Y. Observer.
THE INaUIRER DIRECTED to an Experimental and Practical View of the
Work of the Holy Spirit. By Rev. Oci.avius Winslow. 1 vol. 12mo.
"This is a delightful book ; — modest and unpretending, but embued with the spirit of the gospel.
The author commences, as he should do, with a conclusive .scriptural proof of the divinity and per-
sonality of the Holy Spirit. He then passes on to ' an experimental and practical view'-of the work
of the Spirit as a quickener. This subject he presents in two divisiou.-); first, the state of the heart,
the influence of the Spirit, and the evidences of his operations, befon-and irj the act tit' regeneration ;
and second, the same class of topics, in their application to th'- .-soul after conversion. The ne.xt
chapter is on the indwelUng of the Spirit; the believer a temple of the Holy Ghost. The remaining
subjects are: — The Sanctification of the Spirit, showing the necf-ssity and nature of true ht^liness,
— the sealing of the Spirit, — the Spirit the author of prayer, — and the Spirit a comforter,— the bro-
ken heart bound up. The address is affectionate and winning, yet closely prnru<-xl. It strongly
reminds one of the manner o^ Fiavl and Do'/drif/ffe, and others of the ol<'.;ii June Tl^e discrimi-
nations of chanicter are close and happy: and the whole hook evinces a deep i.iiowleogf of the
heart, and a familiar, practical, and divinely illumined acquaintance with the Scriptures." — tu?Ucal
Repertory <f« Princeton Review.
THE LIFE, V^ALK AND TRIUMPH OF FAITH. By the Rev. W. Ro-
maine, A.M. 12mo. New edition, Muslin.
" Many a good old believer will have his heart cheered and his soul comforted by the republica-
tion of this book. — The truth drops from his pen like manna. His conceptions are remarkably clear,
and his style simple and scriptural. His own life by faith enabled him to write so well for the edifi-
cation of others," — Baptist Advocate.
" Here are three distinct treatises on the same general subject, to which evangelical Christians of
every denomination, during nearly three-quarters of a century, have united in awarding the highest
(3)
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS.
praise. Vhey indicate not only a most intimate acquaintance with the Bible, but a rare knowledge
of the workings of the human heart, and are at once full of instruction, admonition and consolation.
The most advanced Christian cannot fail to read them with profit, and the young Christian will find
them among the safest guides and best helps in the religious life^ which are to be found any where
out of the Bible." — Albany Daily Advertiser.
THE GRACE AND DUTY OF BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED, Declared
and Practically Improved. By John Owen, D.D. 12mo.
"The name of Dr. Owen is peculiarly welcome at all times, and especially on such a theme. We
need do nothing more than call the attention to the title page. Those who are familiar with che
writings of this venerable Father, know that this is among the richest of his works." — New Yoi'k
Evangelist.
MOFFATT'S SOUTHERN AFRICA. Missionary Labours and Scenes in
Southern Africa. By Robert Moffktt, twenty-three years an Agent of the London
Missionary Society in that continent. 1 vol. 12mo.
" We have read the whole of this large volume with undiminished interest, and have found it re-
plete with missionary information, given in an unpretending, but strong and clear style. Th©
wretched state of tlie heathen tribes, among whom the writer so long laboured as a missionary;
their deep degrada,tion and ignorance ; the trials of faith and patience, of the missionary brethren j
and after years of apparently useless labour, and when the churches at home seemed ready to aban-
don the whole fiehl, the displays of the power of the Spirit of God, by his blessing upon the labours
of his servants, are all recorded by an eye-witness, who bore the burden and heat of the day, and
who lived to rejoice in seeing the triumphs of the Gospel, among the most ignorant and degraded
of the human family. The narrative is enriched also with descriptions of African scenery ; with the
employment, habits, and pursuits of the native tribes ; their dangers from lions and other beasts of
prey, and the wars and massacres of the roving bands of marauders, in their desolating excursion*
from place to place." — Foreign Missionary.
INTERESTING NARRATIVES from the Sacred Volume. Illustrated and im-
proved, by the Rev. Joseph Belcher.
CoNTENTi?. — The Solemn Inquiry. — First Murder. — Deluge. — Servant Expelled. — Affectionate
Father Sacrificing his Son. — Affecting Funeral. — Patriarchal Wedding. — Dutiful Son. — Affection^
ate Brother. — Faithful Steward. — Pious Prisoner. — Righteous Governor. — Mistaken Saint. — Dying
Patriarch. — Foundling. — Wise Choice. — Blasphemer Stoned. — Serpents. — Hypocritical Prophet. —
Enemy Discovered. — Affectionate Daughter-in-Law. — Happy Gleaner.
LIFE AND DEATH OF REV. JOSEPH ALLEINE, A.B., author of an "Alarm-
to the Unconverted," (fee. Written by the Rev. Richard Baxter, his widow, Mrs.
Theodosia Alleine, and other persons. To which are added his Christian Lectures,
full of Spiritual Instruction, tending to the promoting of the Power of Godliness-
both in Persons and Families. With a reconmiendatory Preface by Alexander
Duff, D.D., one of the Church of Scotland's Missionaries to India. 1 vol. 12mo.
REMAINS OF THE REV. RICHARD CECIL, M.A. Late Rector of Bisley
and Vicar of Chobbam, Surrey, and Minister of St. John's Chapel, Bedford RoWj
London. To which is prefixed a View of his character. By Joseph Pralt, B. D;
F.A.S. From the eleventh London Edition, 1 vol. 12mo.
" We often meet with men distinguished for certain characteristics or acquirements. One has an.-
elegant, classical mind, but is destitute of original genius ; another with imposing abihties, is rough
and unpolished. Some uniting polish with native superiority are destitute of the grace of godliness ,,
and others excelling in piety and good works, unavoidably offend a refined taste by some vulgarity of
thought, expression, or action. But in Richard Cecil we see a man combining the rich soil of strong
native talent with a refinement of cultivation not surpassed by classic example ; while in him the-
elegant and profound Ljcholar, and polished gentleman are only the subordinate characters of the
humble mimled, devoted, and enterprising follower of the lowly Jesus." — Baptist Advocate.
CHRIST OUR LAW. By Miss CaroHne Fry. Author of "The Listener,'^
"Christ Our Example," &c. 1 vol. 12mo. Second edition.
** The book before us consists of twelve chapters, comprised within about 270 pages. It exhibits
Christ as our Law in His Sovereign Love, His Incarnation and Substitution, His.Iustifying Right-
eousness, Our Responsibility to Him, His Regenerating Spirit, In Saving Faith, The Obedience of
Faith, Repentance unto Life, His Sanctifying Grace, His Holy Ordinances, and our Union and
Communion with Him. We are speaking of no secondary class of publications when we di.stin-
guish this book as the best of all that Miss Fry has ever written. Her pen has unusual vigour.
Her thoughts are strong, and by no means enfeebled in the expression. Her theology is evange?-
ical and profound, entering into the marrow of the gospel, and strengthening the believing reader
ja the faith as once delivered to the saints." — Baptist Advocate.
(4)
C. A r^ T r: Tc ' S PUBLICATIONS.
CHRISTIAN CABINET LIBRARY.
T%erc are now twenty-one volumes of this series, uniformly bound in cloth, gilt backs, l8mo.
TALES OF THE SCOTTISH COVENANTERS, containing Helen of the Glenj
The Persecuted Family, and Ralph Gemmel. By Robert Poilok, A. M.
" These several tales by one of the most gifted writers of his day, here published together in one
handsome volume, are so w^oll known that it cannot now be necessary either to report their exis-
tence or to set forth their claims to public favour. Suffice it to say, they relate to one of the most
interesting periods of Scottish history, and record scenes to which the spirit of humanity, and es-
pecially the heart of a Scotchman, can never be insensible. While they are full of instruction in
respect to the past, they are eminently fitted to cherish the spirit of true piety and especially to
awaken our gratitude to that gracious Providence which has surrounded us with better influence
and opened upon us brighter prospects." — Daily Advertiser.
OLD HUMPHREY'S ADDRESSES. By the author of " Old Humphrey's Obser-
vations." 3d edition, ISmo.
"They have a style decidedly their own, quaint, pithy, pointed, sententious, lively and popular;
but their chief excellence is the constant and successful effort of the author to draw a moral from
every thing he meets." — New York- Observer.
OLD HUMPHREY'S OBSERVATIONS. 4th edition. 1 vol. 18mo.
THOUGHTS FOR THE THOUGHTFUL. By Old Humphrey. 3d edition.
" Here good sense and good humor are wonderfully and most happily blended. The lessonsj
too, are eminently experimental and practical." — Christian Reflector.
OLD HUMPHREY'S WALKS IN LONDON, AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.
Second Edition.
" There is no author of his class whom we greet more cordially than Old Humphrey. He al-
ways comes to us with a smile U}X)n his countenance, and we love to yield ourselves to his intellir
gent and benignant guidance. The present work is full of graphic description, which however is
always made subservient, not merely to purposes of curiosity, but to the cultivation of a spirit of
benevolence and devotion. — Albany Daily Advertiser.
HOMELY HINTS TO SABBATH SCHOOL TEACHERS. By Old Hum.
phrey. Second Edition.
" This volume contains internal evidence of its paternity. It is the genuine offspring of Old
Humphrey. It is replete with excellent thoughts, with hints more valuable than homely, for
Sunday School Teachers, and for Parents. We commend it to their favor as a work richly entitled
to an attentive perusal. Those who have read " Old Humphrey's Thoughts" and " Observations"
will need no argument to persuade them to receive these Homely Hints." — Christian Observer.
LUCILL A, or The Reading of the Bible. By Adolphe Monod. Second edition.
" We venture to say that it contains one of the most acute, philosophical and conclusive argu-
ments in favor of the inspiration of the Scriptures, and of the importance of their universal circu-
lation, to be found in any language. Part of the book is in the form of dialogue, and part of it
in the form of epistolary correspondence ; and while the argument is conducted on both sides with
great ability, the skeptic is finally confounded, not because he appears as the weaker man, but be-
cause he has the weaker cause." — Albany Dally Advertiser.
MEDITATIONS AND ADDRESSES ON THE SUB.TECT OF PRAYER.
By the Rev. Hugh White, A. M. Fourth American from the tenth Dublin edition.
" This is a plain, sensible, and practical treatise, comprising meditations on the importance, nature^
subject and spirit of prayer. The author seems to be impressed with the importance of his theme,
and communicates his thoughts as if he wished them to benefit. We like the spirit, style, and
doctrine of the book, and can therefore recommend it, in hope it may teach men to pray without
ceasing, and in an acceptable manner." — Presbyterian.
THE BELIEVER ; a series of Discourses. By the Rev. Hugh White, A. M. From
the seventh Dublin edition.
" There is a peculiar charm about all the writings of this excellent man. His piety is 3f a glow-
ing temper, and his vivid imagination, chastened by deep devotion, clothes his pages with attractive
interest. We read with emotion, as if the author were talking to us from the fulness of a warm
heart. The volume before us, we are more pleased with than with any of the previous works
from the same pen, and we think that all Christians will be delighted with it, and that doubting:
Christians will be greatly prohted by reading it. To all who love the Saviour we commend this
book."— iV. y. Observer,
(5)
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS.
THE FAMILY OF BETHANY. By L. Bonnet, with an Introductory Essay, by
Rev. Hugh White.
" This book leads us, as with an angel's hand, through some of the most interesting scenes in-
theUfe of the Saviour of the world. It is full of evangelical truth, of glowing imagery, of livings
oreathing devotion. In some of its characteristics, particularly in the fervour which every where
pervades it, it bears the marks of its French origin ; but it is so well translated, that it would re-
quire an attentive observer to perceive that it had been translated at all. We recommend it for its
intellectual, as well as its moral and spiritual quaUties." — Albany Argus.
THE RETROSPECT, or Review of Providential Mercies, with Anecdotes of Va-
rious Characters. By Aliquis, formerly a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and now a
Minister of the English Church. 3d American from the 18th London edition.
*•' The great popularity of this volume appears from the large number of editions through which
it has passed in Great Britain in a short number of years, having now reached the 17th edition,
and proofs of its usefulness have not been wanting. We can assure our readers that there are few
works of the kind so deeply interesting, or so well adapted to religious edification. We cordially
recommend it." — Christ. InlelUgcncer.
THE MARTYR LAMB ; or Christ the Representative of his People in all ages.
By F. W. Krummacher, D.D., author of " Elijah the Tishbite," &c. 4th edition.
ELIJAH THE TISHBITE. By F. W. Krummacher.
" Our author is characterized by a glowing and imaginative style, which seems to be the expres-
sion of a heart warmed by piety, and susceptible of the tenderest emotions. He displays a happy
tact in developing, in the most pleasing manner, the circumstances of a scriptural incident or char-
acter, and of deriving from it practical lessons." — Presbyterian.
LECTURES ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER. By the Rev. Thomas McCrie,
D.D., author of "Life of John Knox," &.c.
A TREATISE ON PRAYER ; designed to assist in the devout discharge of that
duty. By the Pi,ev. Edward Bickersteth.
THE HISTORY OF MICHAEL KEMP, The Happy Farmer's Lad. A Tale of
Rustic Life, illustrative of the Spiritual Blessings and Temporal Advantages of
Early Piety. By Anne Woodrooffe. 2d edition.
"Thoroughly and intensely have we read this book, 'because,' as Talbot said of Boswell's Life
of Johnson, ' we couldn't help it.' We were struck with the ingenuous disposition and firm prin-
ciples of Michael, and we wished to see how they would bear him through trying scenes. In other
Words, our feelings became so intently but agreeably absorbed, that we not only traced Michael
through a book of 250 pages, but if there had been one or two more volumes we fear that we
would have perused them. So much for the interest which the story excites ; the other merits of
the book are not inferior." — Baptist Advocate.
COMFORT IN AFFLICTION: A Series of Meditations. By the Rev. James
Buchanan, one of the Ministers of the High Church, Edinburgh. From the 9th
Edinburgh edition.
*' The blessed results of affliction are treated with peculiar force of argument, and felicity of ex-
pression— strong in scriptural statements of divine truth, and rich in scriptural sources of divine
consolation — in a most valuable work, entitled ' Comfort in Affiiction,^ by the Rev. James Buchanan,
— which I would aflectionately recommend to every Christian mourner who desires to drink freely
of the refreshing streams which the Fountain of all Comfort— the Word of God, supplies ; for it is
from this sacred source the pious and talented author of this excellent work derives ' Comfort in
Affliction,' which his pages so eloquently and attractively set forth. — Rev. Hagh White of Dublin,
PERSUASIVES TO EARLY PIETY. By the Rev. R. G. Pike.
THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF RELIGION IN THE SOUL ; illustrated in
a Course of Serious and Practical Addresses, suited to persons of every character
and circumstance, with a Devout Meditation or Prayer, subjoined to each chapter.
By Phihp Doddridge, D.D.
THE COTTAGE FIRESIDE, or the Parish Schoolmaster. By the Rev. Henry
Duncan, D.D.
*' This is a reprint of a Scotch work, by a clergjmian of high standing, who does not now for
the first time appear as an author. The narrative is constructed with great beauty, and is designed
at once to illustrate and remedy some of the principal evils connected with domestic education.
The work may very properly occupy the attention both of parents and children ; and it will be read
with pleasure by all who can relish the simple and beautiful in thought and expression." — Argus.
THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF SCOTTISH LIFE, by Professor Wilson.
(6)
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS
X.IVE WHILE YOU LIVE. By the Rev. Thomas Griffith, A.M., Minister of Ram's Episcopal
Chapel, Homerton. l8mo.
THE CROOK IN THE LOT; or a display of the Sovereignty and Wisdom of God in the Af-
flictions of Men, and the Christian's deportment under them. By the Rev. Thomas Boston.
18mo.
BICKERSTETH'S TREATISE ON THE LORD'S SUPPER. With an Introduction, Notes,
and an Essay, by G. T. Bedell, D.D. Fifth edition, 18mo.
THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER. A Tale. By Mrs. Cameron. ISmo.
THE COMMUNICANT'S COMPANION. By the Rev. Matthew Henry ; with an Introductory
Essay by the Rev. John Brown, of Edinburgh. iSmo.
RELIGION AND ETERNAL LIFE ; or Irreligion and Eternal Ruin, the only alternative for
mankind. By J. G. Pike, author of " Persuasives to Early Piety," &c.
THE LIFE OF THE REV. JOHN NEWTON, rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London. Written
by himself to A.D. 1763, and continued until his death in 1807, by the Rev. Richard Cecil. 18mo.
BAXTER'S CALL TO THE UNCONVERTED ; Now or Never, and Fifty Reasons. With an
Introductory Essay by Thomas Chalmers, D.D. l8mo.
TRUE HAPPINESS, or the Excellence and Power of Early Religion. By J. G. Pike. l8mo.
3d edition.
ANECDOTES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE SHORTER CATECHISM. By John Whitcross.
l8mo. New edition.
CHARLIE SEYMOUR; or the Good Aunt and the Bad Aunt. By Miss Catharine Sinclair.
l8mo. 3d edition.
A TRIBUTE OF PARENTAL AFFECTION, to my Beloved and Only Daughter, Hannah
Jerram, with a short account of the last illness and death of her brother, Charles Stranger
Jerram. By the Rev. Charles Jerram, A.M. From the 5th London edition. l8mo.
THE JUBILEE MEMORIAL, being the Sermons, Meetings, Presentations, and full account of
the Jubilee commemorating the Rev. Wm. Jay's Fifty Years' Ministry at Argyle Chapel, Bath.
THE CHRISTIAN FATHER AT HOME; or Manual of Parental Instruction, in Two Parts.
I. On the Necessity of Salvation. II. On the Way of Salvation. By W. C Brownlee, D.D. iSmo,
MANUAL OF SACRED INTERPRETATION. By Alex. McClelland, D.D.
GEOLOGICAL COSMOGONY ; or an Examination of the Geological Theory of the Origin and
Antiquity of the Easth, and of the Causes and Object of the Changes it has undergone. By a
Layman. l8mo.
THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCHES OF NEW YORK, with Plates. l8mo.
SCOUGAL'S ENTIRE RELIGIOUS WORKS. 1 vol. l8mo.
JESSY ALLAN THE LAME GIRL. By Grace Kennedy, author of "Anna Ross," "FathoT
Clement," &c. l8mo.
DECAPOLIS, or the individual obligation of Christians to save souls from death; An Essay. By
D. E. Ford. Fifth American from the sixth London edition. l8mo.
THE SINNER'S FRIEND. From the 87th London edition, completing upwards of half a mil*
lion. This little work has been translated into sixteen different languages.
CALVIN ON SECRET PROVIDENCE, translated by the Rev. Jas. Lillie.
THE EXTENT AND EFFICACY OF THE ATONEMENT. By the Rev. Howard Malcom.
MEMOIR OF HANNAH SINCLAIR. By the Rev, Legh Richmond, author of the " Dairyman'!*
Daughter," &c.
SORROWING YET REJOICING ; or Narrative of successive bereavements in a Clergyman'©
Family. By Alex. Beith, of the Free Church, Scotland. 32mo. extra cloth, gilt edge.
THE CONTEST AND THE ARMOUR. By Dr. Abercrombie author of the " Intellectual
Powers and Philosophy of the Moral Feelings." 32mo. extra cloth, gilt edge.
GIFT FOR MOURNERS, containing Flavel's Token for Mourners, and Cecil's Visit totheHoua©
of Mourning. 32mo. extra cloth, gilt edge,
THE KEY TO THE SHORTER CATECHISM, containing Catechetical Exercises, a para-
phrase, and a new series of Proofs on each Question. New edition, l8mo.
SALVATION FOR THE HEATHEN. By the Rev. Dr. McElroy. 18mo.
SOCINIANISM SUBVERSIVE OF CHRISTIANITY. By the Rev. Dr. Van Vrankin.
OUR PROTESTANT FOREFATHERS. By W. S. Gilly, D.D. From the 12th Lon. ed. IHmoi
WATSON'S APOLOGY FOR THE BIBLE. l8mo.
THE SCOTTISH PARAPHRASES. l8mo.
BOSTWICK ON BAPTISM. 18mo.
WILLISON'S COMMUNICANT'S CATECHISM. iSmo.
CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS.
CHEAP EDITIONS.
HORNE'S INTRODUCTION. Price only $3,50. An Introduction to the Critical
Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, By Thomas Hartwell Home, B.D.
New Edition, corrected and enlarged. Illustrated with numerous maps and fac-
eimiles of Biblical Manuscripts, 2 vols, imperial 8vo.
"Mr. Carter has issued an edition of Home's Introduction, which he offers at the astonishingly
low price of S^^,50 — for the two volumes ! Truly the scholar's millennium has well nigh come.
Those who have paid twenty dollars for it, in four volumes, will hardly understand by what pro-
cess such a massive work can be so cheaply furnished. It is a reprint from the last London edi-
tion, with Dr. Home's latest additions and corrections, containing all the maps and illustrative en-
gravings.
To commend Home's Introduction to the clergy or other students of the sacred oracles, would
be " carrying coals to Newcastle." It has long been regarded as an indispensable work for a the-
ological library, and has acquired among Biblical scholars — at least English scholars — a deservedly
high repute. It is a work of gigantic labor. The results of the research and erudition of BibUcal
scholars of all countries, and in all time, are faithfully garnered, and, on the whole, well digested.'*
— N. Y. Evangelist.
CHALMERS' ROMANS. Price $1,50. Lectures on the Epistle of Paul to the
Romans. By Thomas Chalmers, D.D. and LL.D., 1 vol. 8vo. Fourth Thousand.
" Of the Theological writers, who have written in our language, and belong to this generation,
Dr. Chalmers is unquestionably the strongest. His writings have also to religious minds the
virtue (which to some persons seem no virtue) of having that pure, healthy, orthodox tone about
them which makts us feel the author drank at the fountain of Life. The Epistle to the Romans
b admitted to be one of the most important portions of St. Paul's writings ; and one which has
occasioned a number of commentaries, and great diversity of opinion. It will gratify many that
so able a writer and so just a Theologian has given the world an analysis of this Epistle. It is
written in the terse and manly style of the author, but with no inflation of words or fancy. It is
written also with great candor, and with no display of controversial argument. — Daily Chronicle.
CHALMERS' SERMONS COMPLETE. Price $2,50. The entire Sermons and
Discourses of Thomas Chalmers, D.D., &c., in 2 vols. 8vo. uniform with his "Lec-
tures vn the Romans." Nearly one half of this work has never before been pub-
lished in this country.
CHALMERS' NATURAL THEOLOGY. Only One Dollar. 2 vols. 12mo.
1^ This Work has been introduced as a Text Book into the University of New York, and sev-
eral other institutions of a similar kind.
Twenty-Seventh Thousand of
D'AUBIGNE'S REFORMATION ; THREE VOLS. FOR ONE DOLLAR.
This edition contains all the notes and references, and is printed on the same type with the fine
copy, [t has been carefully revised and several typographical errors corrected, by a committee of
gentlemen interested in the circulation of the work. Though th6 paper, printing, and binding, are
much improved, (the paper costing precisely 07ie third more than that of former editions,) the
work is still furnished at the very low price of One Dollar. The fourth volume, which is expected
soon, will be published uniform, with //«s as well as t\ie fine edition.
MOFFAT'S SOUTHERN AFRICA. Price 50 cents. Fifth Edition. 1 vol. 12mo.
MASON'S ESSAYS ON EPISCOPACY. Price 50 cents. 1 vol. 12mo.
« " " THE CHURCH OF GOD. Price 50 cents. 1 vol.
12mo. Uniform with the above.
THE CHRISTIAN YOUTH'S BOOK. By the Rev. W. C. Brownlee, D.D.
Price 50 cents. 1 vol. 12mo.
THE GRACE AND DUTY OF BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED. By John
Owen, D.D. 1 vol. 12mo. Price only 37f cents.
HETHERINGTON'S HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. 1
vol. 8vo. Price only $1,50.
THE WORKS OF THE REV. JOHN NEWTON, vols. 8vo. Price $2,50.
IN PRISSS.
ANCIENT I^ISTORY, of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians, Medea,
Carthaginians, Macedonians, &c., &c. From Rollin and other authentic sources.
Publibhed by the London Religious Tract Society. 4 vols. 12mo. Price $2.00.
(8)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
BERKELEY
Return to desk from which borrowed.
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
m PORTAL
APR 2 0 ,^51
30Npr52LlJ
NOVl-
9B0
REC'D 't,i^
!VtH 'X Ibol
2a^pf'65LD
fi^c-^
\S>
31 0CT'60R1#'^'*^
REC'L __
#^''
LD 2
9Jan'61JtJ
REC'D LO ^^fi^^^/Z'im 2
l-100m-ll,'49(B7146sl6)476 '" '^
M^t
\
YClOi 138
He
I.
'■'•?:;
'r-
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UBRARY
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11